Posidonia 2020, the international shipping exhibition originally planned for June 2020 and subsequently postponed to October 2020 in Athens, Greece, has now been cancelled, organisers said.

“We have reached this difficult decision following close consultation with many exhibitors and with our shipping community stakeholders, after assessing the current state of Covid-19 in countries around the world,” the organiser said in a statement.

The worrying increase of cases in certain jurisdictions and the inability to predict reliably where the pandemic will take us in the months ahead, compounds the uncertainty that now prevails, imposing upon us circumstances that are beyond our control, they said.

Furthermore, the shipment of exhibits and the complexities of international travel which are constantly being re-evaluated as events develop, pose major challenges and practical restrictions to our international exhibitors and visitors, with the distinct possibility that many will not be able to visit Greece. Without them Posidonia would not be the same, the statement said.

“One of the unique characteristics of Posidonia is the opportunities it provides to meet, interact and socialise in and around the exhibition and enjoy the hospitality. We are concerned that this special environment that brings together the Greek and international shipping communities is in danger of being undermined due to Covid-19, thus not delivering the results that everyone expects and is looking forward to at Posidonia,” it added.

The next event will be Posidonia 2022 exhibition, which will take place from June 6 to 10 June at the Athens Metropolitan Expo.