On March 7, 2025, the Greek National Technical Committee (NTC) successfully held its second consultation meeting for the #BLUEPORTS project at the Piraeus Marine Club, Greece, reinforcing the collaborative effort to advance green skills and certification in the Greek port sector. The meeting was organized by the BLUE PORTS coordinator, the Renewable & Sustainable Energy Systems Laboratory of the Technical University of Crete (ReSEL@TUC), in partnership with TÜV HELLAS – TÜV NORD and Heraklion Port Authority, with the support of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, the Hellenic Ports Association (ELIME), and the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping (NEE).

Building on the foundation laid during the inaugural meeting, this second consultation focused on co-developing the requirements of the BLUE PORTS Certification Scheme, and refining the proposed Training Methodology and Syllabus. Prof. Theoharis Tsoutsos, Director of ReSEL@TUC, Vasilios Mamalis, Executive Director of the Hellenic Ports Association, and Vasilios Politis, Board Member of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, welcomed the attending members. Targeted presentations were delivered by Stavroula Tournaki, BLUE PORTS Coordinator (ReSEL@TUC), and Christos Kariotis, Senior Operations Support for Persons Certification (TÜV HELLAS), elaborating on the key aspects already established, such as the certification scheme scope, target groups and the decision to develop two sub-schemes, one for management workforce and another for technical and operational staff. The meeting also featured two participatory exercises, coordinated by Virginios Voudouris, Vice President of Certification of Persons (TÜV HELLAS), Prof. Theocharis Tsoutsos (Technical University of Crete), Christos Kariotis, Senior Operations Support Persons Certification (TÜV HELLAS), and Minas Seimenis, Special Advisor to the CEO (Heraklion Port Authority ) with  support by Maria Frangou and Nikolaos Skarakis (Technical University of Crete). The consultation focused on fine-tuning and aligning the Syllabus with the daily duties of certified staff, as well as the scheme’s assessment criteria.

The meeting was attended by official NTC members such as: the Hellenic Ports Association (ELIME), the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping (NEE), the Federation of Port Workers of Greece (OMYLE), the Association of Passenger Shipping Companies (SEEN), the Labour Institute of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (INE GSEE), the Hellenic Accreditation System (ESYD), the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), and the Hellenic Environmental Center (HEC).

The stakeholders recognized the added value of the BLUE PORTS Certification Scheme in accelerating the green transition of ports by enhancing the skills and competencies of human capital in the port ecosystem. They also emphasised that the tailored design of the training program addresses efficiently  the identified and real needs of the sector. At the same time, they provided valuable insights, which, along with conclusions drawn from the other Committees of participating countries (Greece, Italy, Spain, and Georgia), will contribute to the final formation of the scheme and its mutual acknowledgement.