The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Registry continued its commitment to professional development and operational excellence with its first Nautical Inspector (NI) Seminar of 2026. The two-day program, hosted by the Piraeus Office in early February, brought together 26 NIs and fleet operations personnel from Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta, Turkey, and the United States.
Captain Theodore Lalas, Fleet Operations Manager (Piraeus), opened the seminar with an introduction and regional overview, setting the stage with insights into fleet performance and key trends affecting operations. Captain John Sideris, Deputy Fleet Operations Manager (Piraeus), led several core sessions throughout the seminar related to training, the human element, and areas of improvement. These sessions reinforced best practices, procedural alignment, and the critical role inspectors play in upholding safety and compliance standards fleetwide. Coordination-related matters, which focused on strengthening communication between inspectors, the fleet operations team, and vessel operators were presented by Liana Tamprantzi, Fleet Operations Administrator (Piraeus). Dimitris Roussos, Flag State Inspector (Piraeus), delivered a session on PSC statistics and analysis, providing a data-driven perspective on detention trends, common deficiencies, and trends. Day one included several Q&A sessions to encourage open dialogue and knowledge-sharing among attendees. Brian Poskiatis, Senior Vice President, Fleet Operations (Baltimore/Annapolis) and Simeon Petradakis, Deputy Fleet Operations Manager (Baltimore/Annapolis) attended the seminar, providing a global perspective on fleet wide operations for participants.
On the second day of the seminar participants attended a hands-on live training course on life saving appliance-related matters at BENEMAR headquarters in Piraeus.
The RMI Registry hosts NI seminars throughout the year in different regions to ensure consistent application of regulations and inspection practices and allow for global discussion on evolving regulatory and operational challenges. Last year NI seminars were held in Annapolis, Manila, and Roosendaal.
