International Registries Inc. and its affiliates (IRI) honored Captain John Giannopoulos for his lifetime of service to the maritime industry with an award posthumously presented to his daughter, Arianna Giannopoulos, at our 2022 Posidonia Reception.
Captain John Giannopoulos
Captain Giannopoulos began his career as a cadet at the National Merchant Marine Academy of Hydra, the first naval academy in Greece. Selected from a pool of 1,200 candidates, Captain Giannopoulos was one of 51 students enrolled, and his graduation launched his lifetime of service to the maritime industry. The early part of his career he sailed and managed general cargo ships before he came ashore and joined IRI in the 1980’s and eventually retired in July 2010. Under the leadership of Captain Tasos Tzamtzis, Captain Giannopoulos handled inspections and seafarer documentation before rising to Officer in Charge of the Piraeus office in 1994 when Captain Tzamtzis retired.
Captain Giannopoulos was instrumental to the growth and strength of IRI and its Piraeus office in its early years and together with Captain Costas Xenakoudis set the foundation for that office’s future growth. The leadership of the office was passed to Theo Xenakoudis in January 2007 who today is IRI’s Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director of the Piraeus office. “Capt. Giannopoulos, together with my father, assembled an expert team in the areas of inspections and seafarers that allowed us to expand services in our office,” said Theo Xenakoudis. “Not only was Captain Giannopoulos a mentor in my career here at the Registry, but he also shaped and touched many of us in the worldwide network of offices as a friend and a leader,” he continued.
“Captain Giannopoulos was at the helm when I first visited the Piraeus office in 1997. His experience at sea allowed him to expertly bring together the shoreside services needed to support our Greek shipowners and operators, services which have stood the test of time,” said Bill Gallagher, President of IRI.
Captain Giannopoulos’ commitment to the industry lives on in our offices worldwide and we honor his memory.
