Athens (People's Daily) - The world's leading and most prestigious shipping exhibition, Posidonia 2018, kicked off on June 4 in Athens, Greece.

(Photos: People's Daily app/Han Shuo)

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras gave an opening speech, marking the 50-year anniversary of the event at the Athens Metropolitan Expo.

With a record number of exhibitors and a 16%  increase in floor space, Posidonia 2018 welcomed over 1,920 companies from 92 countries to the four-day event, which is expected to attract over 22,000 visitors. The exhibition will host over 40 conferences, seminars and workshops.

A total of 22 countries will host national pavilions to showcase each nation's shipping offerings to an audience of policy makers and buyers and sellers of maritime products and services.

More than 60 information and communications technology (ICT) companies are at Posidonia 2018 providing the shipping industry with solutions ranging from fully-automated ports to unmanned smart ships. 

Chinese presence at this year's event is one of the most prominent. China contributed the largest pavilion with 175 stands of Chinese companies.

According to the value of vessels, China ranks third among all ship-owning nations. "The Chinese share of global ownership should continue to move upwards over the next decade across all markets," said a famous shipping vessel database service company based in London. 

The international shipping exhibition Posidonia is named after Poseidon, the god of the sea in ancient Greek mythology.