Korean shipbuilders are seeking to expand overseas orders at a ship exhibition in Greece, leading with eco-friendly and smart equipment.

KOTRA said Tuesday that it operated an integrated Korea Pavilion at "Posidonia 2026," held in Athens, Greece, from June 1 to 5, together with the Korea Marine Equipment Association.

Posidonia is considered one of the world's three largest shipbuilding and marine exhibitions, alongside Norway's Nor-Shipping and Germany's SMM.

Greece is the world's largest shipowning nation, accounting for 20.2% of global shipping tonnage. At the same time, its role as a European energy hub is expanding, including its pursuit of the Vertical Gas Corridor project linking Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. Korea, meanwhile, is one of the partners in stabilizing and diversifying strategic industry supply chains for the United States and Europe. On this basis, cooperation between Korea and Greece in the shipbuilding and shipping sectors is becoming more active.

This exhibition was held amid the global shipping industry's transition toward eco-friendly and digital practices, combined with the energy supply chain restructuring driven by the situation in the Middle East and Europe's moves to strengthen strategic industry supply chains.

The Korea Pavilion featured a total of 12 companies, including nine companies in shipbuilding and marine equipment and eco-friendly vessels, as well as three companies in a cooperation hall established by Ulsan Port Authority.

Ahead of the exhibition, KOTRA conducted marketing for the integrated Korea Pavilion targeting more than 1,000 companies. On this basis, leading Greek shipping companies, including Latsco, Tsakos Group, and TMS Cardiff, visited the Korea Pavilion.

The key themes of the event were eco-friendly technology, smart ships, and decarbonization technology. Global shipowners interested in improving vessel operating efficiency, responding to environmental regulations, and enhancing operational stability paid attention to Korean companies' ship maintenance automation, core engine control components, and safety management systems. The head of Company A, which participated in the Korea Pavilion, said, "There were many inquiries about eco-friendly and digital transformation technologies."

Meanwhile, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Greece and the Greek economic research institute JOBE held a "Korea-Greece Shipbuilding and Marine Cooperation Forum" as a related event. Government and corporate officials from both countries who participated in the forum discussed eco-friendly ship technology and ways to cooperate on shipbuilding and marine supply chains. In addition, financial support measures for overseas shipowners' purchases of Korean-made vessels and the technology and product trends of participating domestic companies were introduced.

Im Joo-sung, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Greece, said, "Korea and Greece each possess world-leading competitiveness in the shipbuilding and shipping sectors." He added, "In the new industrial environment of eco-friendly transition and global supply chain restructuring, we hope cooperation between companies in both countries will expand further."

Min Yu-ji, head of KOTRA's Athens Trade Center, stressed, "Greece is the world's largest shipowning nation and a key hub for Europe's marine industry." He added, "With this Posidonia as a turning point, we will actively support domestic shipbuilding and marine equipment companies in expanding their networks with global shipowners and shipbuilders and accelerating their entry into the European market."