HABA honors TEN millennia of seafaring tradition
By Demetrios Rhompotis
“Our company moved 380 million barrels of oil this year, representing 40 days of the total United States (oil) imports. Our ships can keep the country running for 40 days,” said Niikolas Tsakos, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Tsakos Energy Navigation (TEN), upon receiving HABA’s (Hellenic American Bankers Association) 2008 Executive of the Year Award for himself and his father Panagiotis, during a lavish gala held this past March at the New York Athletic Club. Soterios Johnson, host of NPR's Morning Edition, WNYC Radio, served as Master of Ceremonies.
Greece, a country of about 12 million – two of which recent immigrants from neighboring countries – controls more than 20% of the global fleet, while the number of Greek owned ships place the country in the first place worldwide, continuing triumphantly a tradition that goes back to prehistoric times. “Geek shipping maintains a protagonist role in the maritime affairs of the world. It serves the national society, not only with the best of ships, but with the best seafarers with more than 10,000 years seafaring experience,” Captain Panagiotis N. Tsakos, founder of Tsakos Shipping and Trading, declared in a televised message from his office on his native island of Chios. Captain Tsakos has demonstrated his commitment “To Save the Seas” by being a founding member of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA), which promotes “Safer Ships in Cleaner Seas.” He is also an ardent supporter of Hellenism and Orthodoxy in the Americas, North and South.
Mr. Nikolas P. Tsakos has followed his father into the shipping industry. His company, Tsakos Energy Navigation (TEN), an NYSE-listed public company, which operates a fleet of 43 vessels, with over 4.7 million dwt, and an average age of just 5.4 years. Reflecting the Tsakos family’s concern for the environment, 100% of TEN's fleet is of double hull design. Mr. Tsakos is the former President of the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Agency (HELMEPA), a member of the council of the Independent Tanker Owners Association (INTERTANKO), a board member of the UK P&I Club, a board member of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS), a council member of the board of the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee (GSCC) and a council member of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Bureau Veritas (BV) and of the Greek Committee of Det Norske Veritas (DNV).
“One out of every four cargos is carried on a Greek ship,” Nikolas Tsakos continued. “This (comes) from a country that really doesn’t produce very much. The only oil we produce is olive oil and it is not enough to fill any of our vessels. People used to think that shipping was threatened by the airline industry. A 747 jumbo carries 300 tons of cargo while one of our ships carries 300,000 tons.”
According to Capital Link President Nicholas Bornozis, who earlier in the day hosted an international shipping conference in New York, “another achievement of the Tsakos family, is how they paved the way for Greek shipping to tap the global capital markets…Shipping today is a vital link to the global economy and global trade …it really takes a new generation to take the initiative to open the capital markets. So there we have to credit Nikolas Tsakos for founding the Tsakos Energy Navigation.”
“(Today) We have more that 30 Greek publicly traded companies on the NYSE, but we were the first ones. We were like the first Christians being fed to the lions,” said Nikolas Tsakos, touching upon the same theme.
Niovi Christopoulou, who practices law in Arnold & Porter’s New York office, introduced the honoree. “He comes from a family with a great tradition in shipping,” she pointed out. “His vision and background helped him bridge the family’s great shipping tradition with the world’s global markets. Despite his many accomplishments, Mr. Tsakos is also a fearless leader who has great energy and a great sense of humor, and who loves his family.”
The Hellenic American Bankers Association, Inc. (H.A.B.A.), the event’s host, is one of the premier Greek-American organizations in the New York metropolitan area. Since its inception it has strived to serve the professional and educational interests of Greek-American financial professionals through the sponsoring of lectures, seminars, cocktail receptions with guest speakers and other events. Recently, a very successful outlook panel discussion on the US economy and the state of the real estate market was organized at the First American Title with acclaimed experts James Orphanides (First American Title,) Constantine Soras (Verizon,) and Peter Stavropoulos (Sailfish Capital) as guest speakers.
“This event (Executive of the Year Gala) exemplifies what HABA is all about,” James Hansel, the organization’s President, declared, visibly satisfied. “You saw everyone jumping around to different tables, meeting everybody else, that’s our purpose. We are here to connect people in business and finance.” Hansel, MSCS, CFA, Managing Director, Portfolio Manager and founder of Eight Winds Capital Management, LLC., resumed HABA’s leaderships about two years ago and with board members such as Nicholas Agrotis, managed to give the association new momentum, reestablishing it as one of Greek-American community’s most vibrant entities.
Further information on HABA and its activities can be obtained by calling (212) 421-1057, or visiting www.HABA.org.
