Project Connect will host its Members and Teachers Conference at Posidonia 2026, placing the spotlight on the Adopt a Ship™ program’s teachers, captains, and Members who have been the driving force behind the industry’s first and only holistic maritime educational initiative.
 

The conference, entitled “Adopt a Ship™: How Early Education Is Changing the Future of Shipping - Raising the Maritime Workforce of 2036” will take place on Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 16:45 to 18:30, at Seminar Room 2B - Sponsored by ADMIRALTY.
 

As the maritime industry moves through profound transformation driven by digitalization, decarbonization, automation, workforce challenges, the need to cultivate maritime awareness and understanding from an early age has never been greater. Adopt a Ship™, Project Connect’s flagship educational program, introduces pupils to maritime life from primary school through Vocational High School (Greek EPAL), connecting classrooms with active vessels and seafarers, and building early familiarity, respect, and connection with the shipping industry.
 

This year’s conference is dedicated to honoring the people who make the program possible: the teachers who bring maritime learning into the classroom, the captains who open their vessels and share real‑world experience, and the Member companies whose ongoing commitment sustains the program.
 

The conference will present new pedagogical research on the transformative role and the long-term impact of Adopt a Ship™, while recognizing the collective contribution of the stakeholders who have helped introduce thousands of students to shipping—many for the first time—thereby strengthening pathways to Marine Academies, Universities, and maritime careers.
 

The conversation, facilitated by PROJECT CONNECT,  will feature professionals from across education, seafaring, and the maritime industry, including key speakers Dr Adamantia Spanaka, Educator Consultant & Program Developer, Hellenic Open University, Metaxia Psalti, Vice-Chair, INTERCARGO & COO, Neda Maritime Agency, John Xylas, CEO, Ariston Navigation, Treasurer, Union of Greek Shipowners & Chairman, INTERCARGO, Capt. Konstantinos Geomelos, Fleet Navigation, Chandris. who will share their insights on the long‑term impact of early maritime education, real‑world engagement with shipping, and the role of collaboration in shaping the future maritime workforce. Nikolas Tsalamanios, Co-CEO, Seaven Tankers & Dry, Chairman of Project Connect,  and Irene Notias, Former Marine Fuels Broker & Founder/Director of Project Connect will moderate the conversation.
 

By honoring the Adopt a Ship educators, seafarers, and industry members at its core, the conference reinforces a central message: the maritime workforce of 2036 is being shaped today, through shared commitment, early education, and human connection.
 

Two Adopt a Ship™ scholarships will be awarded to Nautical Vocational High School graduates whose engagement with the Adopt a Ship™ program supported and guided their successful admission to Marine Academies and University. The scholarships are generously sponsored by Mr. John Naslas, in memory of the late shipowner George N. Lygnos.

The Conference and Project Connect stand are made possible by the valued support of Astra Shipmanagement, Lotus Shipping, Pleiades Shipping, Seanergy Maritime, and Star Bulk.

PROJECT CONNECT, Stand 2.544 in Hall 2, offers visitors a clear, evidence‑based narrative of how the maritime industry can invest today in people who will lead, innovate, and strengthen it tomorrow.