The event was attended by Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Christos Stylianides, Secretary General of Shipping and Ports Evangelos Kyriazopoulos, Chief of the Hellenic Coast Guard Vice Admiral Georgios Alexandrakis, Mayor of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni and Vice President of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece Grigoris Konstantellis, President of the non-profit organization "Safe Water Sports" Panagiotis Paschalakis, President of the Lifeguard Schools Association Marios Myronakis, as well as senior officers of the Hellenic Coast Guard.

Mr. Stylianides emphasized that sea safety is a major priority for the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, focusing on the need for continuous information, attention, and protection, "through taking initiatives and measures to protect human life and prevent accidents which are matters of utmost importance," as he specifically mentioned.

In conclusion, he expressed gratitude to Mr. Panagiotis Paschalakis, President of the NGO "Safe Water Sports," for their valuable cooperation and confirmed the continuation of this collaboration.

Mr. Paschalakis, President of "Safe Water Sports," initially presented the Information System developed by the Organization and provided free to the Coast Guard, where port authorities manage electronically licenses for water sports and recreational activities, inspections, and sea patrols, violations, etc. He then presented the Accident Observatory, which details fatal accidents in the aquatic environment (sea and inland waters) for the year 2023.

Finally, Mr. Paschalakis highlighted the lack of swimming education and the importance of prevention and safety, which concerns both young and old, hoping that in 2024 there will be a reduction in human losses in our country's aquatic environment.

Key points presented include:

400 fatal accidents in our seas, 166 of which occurred on beaches requiring lifeguard coverage, with 121 during lifeguard hours.
8 out of 10 fatalities are due to drowning.
68% of fatal accidents involve Greeks.
83% are individuals over 60 years old.
71% are men.
The Attica Region (69 in total) and Central Macedonia (56 in total) had the highest number of fatal accidents.
In 2023, we had 91% lifeguard coverage on beaches.