Frau Tamm,
Herr Tamm, mein guter freund Peter, vielen dank für ihre freundlichen worte. Meine Damen und Herren, guten Tag.

I really wanted to continue my speech in German, but unfortunately, I have not been speaking your language for over half a century and consequently, I am afraid that I have everything forgotten!
Das ist schade, aber ich habe alles vergessen!

However, it is indeed a great honour for me to be here. Moreover, Hamburg is a very special place for me. Exactly 58 years ago - in 1967 - I was paid my first salary working for two months as an apprentice at the renowned Blohm & Voss ship repair facility.

I returned again in 1979, this time as a shipowner, on the occasion of a joint venture with a young German entrepreneur, Mr. Claus-Peter Offen. What followed, was not only a successful business partnership but, more importantly, a lasting friendship. Claus-Peter has been one of my inspirations in appreciating the value of international cooperation in shipping.

The third occasion that brought me to your beautiful city, was nine years ago, in the fall of 2016, when, this time as a maritime historian, I came here with my son Michalis to visit another good friend, Mr. Christian Hinneberg. Apart from discussing subjects of mutual interest, we had the opportunity to visit - at his suggestion - this most impressive museum; in my opinion the best of its kind in the world.

The timing of that visit was a real gift. I had the privilege to meet a great man. The one responsible for the museum’s establishment. The 88-year old Peter Tamm senior was still present almost daily the museum and I was thus deeply honoured to shake hands and to express to him my gratitude for his invaluable contribution in preserving international maritime heritage. This happened actually only few weeks before his passing in December of that same year.

As perhaps the only shipowner in the world, who quit his his career in shipping in order to fully commit himself to maritime history, I was deeply touched hearing the story of this museum from his son, Peter Tamm jr., who was most kind in escorting me throughout my visit. The discussions I had later with him, especially those concerning the shipbuilding activity of Greek shipowners in Germany, planted the seeds of a vision: To jointly work in highlighting the value of international cooperation in shipping.

With this in mind, I created a year later the book “The Sea Unites”. It was warmly received by our friends here in Hamburg. Then, at a later visit in 2019, I had the chance to meet Peter Tamm again and spoke with him about a joint exhibition. Although the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted our plans, the idea never faded. And so, in the autumn of last year, Peter and I decided to bring this exhibition to life – hoping it will mark the beginning of a long-term, fruitful collaboration between two institutions driven by similar ideals.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thirty-five years ago, I made the bold decision to quit shipping and embark on the challenging field of historical research with the sole ambition to correct misconceptions about Greek shipping- myths that obscured its true identity and deprived the public of recognising its unique post-war contribution to global seaborne trade.

I was eager to take on this task because I believed that even the best historians couldn’t fully grasp the nuances of our industry without firsthand experience. Shipping is a complex industry and unless you have been directly involved in ship operations, it is impossible to understand the full picture behind many entrepreneurial initiatives. On the other hand, I realised that there was no place in the world, dedicated to collecting and preserving the archival material needed to truly study and analyze the evolution of modern merchant shipping. This I believe, is one of the main reasons that the impact of shipping on modern history is not widely appreciated.

That is exactly what I have dedicated the last 35 years to: collecting material, drawing on my 20-year long experience as a shipowner and my background in naval architecture, to better understand the true impact of various players in the global shipping industry.

I am glad to share that this work continues and is constantly enhanced today through NAVIRA, the non-profit institution I established with my son Michalis, five years ago. We work hard to create an innovative research center on the island of Syros – one that will be open to researchers from around the world, offering them a fresh, experience-driven perspective, on maritime history.

Dear friends,

In my 60 year-long involvement with this exciting industry, I have always known that shipping is a game of many players. People of all backgrounds, religions and nationalities, working together to keep seaborne trade moving. We rely on each other, even if egotism often prevents us from seeing that.

What better example than the relationship between our two nations? Countries that were once on opposite sides during two world wars and saw their fleets devastated. Yet, their cooperation in shipping after the Second World War was a blessing for both.

We Greeks placed orders with German shipbuilders and received excellent ships that helped us serve global trade efficiently. In return, the German shipbuilding and steel industries were revitalized – not just through newbuildings, but also through scrapping of older ships. I still recall that Hamburg was until the 1960s, among the largest ship demolition centers, scrapping many old Greek-owned vessels. So deep was the cooperation, that even in 1958, newly built Greek-owned ships were still leaving shipyards on their maiden voyages—fully crewed by Germans.

Meine Damen und Herren,

As we are about to open the exhibition, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my friend Peter Tamm and his associates in the museum for their excellent cooperation over the past months. I also extend my thanks to my son Michalis Foustanos and the Navira team for their hard efforts. Last, but not least, I express my gratitude to our sponsors who have facilitated the creation of this exhibition with their generous donations. I sincerely hope that they will be satisfied with the result.

Before thanking you for your presence, I wish to leave you with some thoughts. This exhibition reminds us of the past. And true knowledge of the past, is the best guide for the future. There was a time that European shipping dominated the seas, offering prosperity and freedom to many of its nations. We must never forget this, especially now, as other continents rapidly rise in global influence.

We must ensure Europe maintains a strong, competitive fleet – regardless of the flag its ships may fly. Europe cannot afford to surrender its maritime strength. Shipping is an irreplaceable activity; the world cannot live without seaborne trade and Europe would suffer most without it. It is therefore imperative that we convince our Continent’s political leaders to follow practices that will safeguard the existence of a thriving, competitive European-owned fleet, at all times.

Our two nations - who have forged such an outstanding maritime cooperation, can and should lead the way, especially in these turbulent times.

Thank you very much indeed. Vielen Dank!