IENE’s Executive Director, Mr. Costis Stambolis, participated in the “2nd Mare Forum Oil and Gas Europe 2015” conference, which took place on Wednesday 4March, 2015, in Athens. This year’s Mare Forum focused on “Mediterranean Ultra Deep Water Exploration and Maritime Transportation” and brought together more than 200 senior executives from the global maritime transportation and energy spheresIENE’s Executive Director, Mr. Costis Stambolis, participated in the "2nd Mare Forum Oil and Gas Europe 2015” conference, which took place on Wednesday 4March, 2015,in Athens. This year’s Mare Forum focused on "Mediterranean Ultra Deep Water Exploration and Maritime Transportation” and brought together more than 200 senior executives from the global maritime transportation and energy spheres.
The conference underlined the importance of the massive new findings of oil and gas in the Mediterranean, very close to the large European market, which are poised to alter the economics and, especially, the geopolitics of the region. New alliances are being forged and old contests are likely to surface and to be tested.
The size of the resources already confirmed is world class and more are on the way. Israel, Cyprus and Lebanon are at different stages en route to hydrocarbon production. Greece follows next with several promising prospects.
The fact is that Eastern Mediterranean is under deep to ultra deep-waters causing both economic and logistical challenges. Concurrently, the shipping industry will profit due to the need of gas and oil transportation by sea.
The main conference topics were:
-The Big Picture - Geopolitics demand and supply of oil and gas, shale gas, energy alternatives,European energy independency
-Exploration and
Production – Mediterranean ultra deep, water oil and gas, geopolitical and
technical challenges
-Maritime Transportation of Energy - Oil-tankers, gas carriers
IENE’s Executive Director’s presentation focused on the geopolitical perspective of the oil and gas outlook for Greece and
SE Europe. Mr. Stambolis underlined that
the importance of the region, and East Mediterranean in particular, lies in its
geopolitical settings and, more precisely, in its proximity to the Middle East,
North Africa and Eurasia and its role as an enlarged East-West energy corridor.
According to IENE’s Executive Director, oil & gas exploration and
production, on one hand, and gas storage and transiting, on the other, are the
two main energy parameters are influencing geopolitical developments in SE
Europe itself.
Moreover, Mr. Harry Vafias(President and CEO, StealthGas Inc.) was the Conference Chairman, whereas Mr. Philip Embiricos (Past President BIMCO), Dr. Ali Obaid Al-Yabhouni (UAE Governor for OPEC, and Chief Executive OfficerAbu Dhabi National Tanker Co. – ADNATCO and Chief Executive OfficerNational Gas Shipping Co. – NGSCO), Mr. Mauro Boni (RINA Business Development Manager International Development), Dr. Leo P. Drollas (Past Director and Chief Economist, Centre for Global Energy Studies, UK), Mr. Solon Kassinis (Past, Executive Vice President of the Cyprus National Hydrocarbons Company Ltd. - CNHC), Dr. Elias Conophagos (Executive Vice President FLOW Energy S.A) and Mr. Jannis Kostoulas (President Mare Forum) were among the speakers of the "2nd Mare Forum Oil and Gas Europe 2015”.
The event’s host were the Holland-based Mare Forum organisation. Further information on the Mare Forumorganisation and its activities you may find by visiting www.mareforum.com
