Spyros M. Polemis, a pillar of Greek shipping and a past chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), has passed away.
Born in 1937 into a family with centuries of maritime tradition, Polemis studied shipping and marine engineering in Athens, London and the United States. He became head of London-based Seacrest Shipping, served as chairman of Intercargo, and represented the Union of Greek Shipowners on the ICS' board. As president of the International Shipping Federation, he helped organize and oversee the merger of the ISF with the ICS in 2011, leading to the creation of the organization in its current unified form.
"Mr. Polemis was a tireless advocate for shipping, and the maintenance of global rules for a global industry, steering shipping through the enormous challenges presented by the 2008 financial crisis and the worst years of the Somali piracy crisis when over 4,000 seafarers were taken hostage," said ICS Secretary General Guy Platten. "He was passionate about crew welfare and maritime safety, with a deep knowledge of the technical issues being addressed by IMO in the early 2000s, such as improvements to bulk carrier safety and the accelerated phase-out of single hull tankers."
He will also be remembered as one of the first in the industry to call for a global levy on greenhouse gas emissions from shipping - an idea he championed during his tenure as ICS' chairman.
"Spyros Polemis stood out for his morals, seriousness, kindness and integrity. A cooperative man, full of words and active in actions, with spiritual concerns and searches, he did not bend to the storms of life and fought until the end," wrote Polemis' yacht club, the Nautical Club of Andros, in a memorial. "Our thoughts and condolences go to Spyros’ family and loved ones and we send our deepest sympathies to them."
