About the event
International shipping stands at the centre of the geopolitical transformations reshaping our world. Armed conflicts, great-power competition, threats to freedom and safety of navigation, and the growing strategic importance of maritime chokepoints create a complex environment for global trade and shipping operations.
How do geopolitical developments affect the safety of merchant vessels and their crews? How are sea routes acquiring renewed strategic importance? What challenges confront shipping businesses, and why do these developments matter particularly to Greece?
The Athens Centre for International Studies and Cooperation at Aegean College is holding a public academic event in Athens on Thursday 17 December 2026 at 18:30, bringing geopolitical analysis into conversation with the practical realities of maritime security.
Participants
Dimitris Maniatis — Founder and Chief Executive Officer, MARISKS (Maritime Risk Services).
Dr Konstantinos Grivas — Professor of Geopolitics, Hellenic Military Academy.
Chair: Dr Sotiris Mitralexis, Director of the Centre.
The programme consists of two consecutive discussions, each lasting approximately 40–45 minutes, followed by questions and discussion with the audience.
Indicative programme
18:35–18:40: Welcome and introduction — Sotiris Mitralexis.
18:40–19:25: Shipping and geopolitical risk — Dimitris Maniatis in conversation with Sotiris Mitralexis.
19:30–20:15: The geopolitics of the seas and strategic rivalries — Konstantinos Grivas in conversation with Sotiris Mitralexis.
20:15–20:30: Audience questions and open discussion.
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