Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos
| Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos 29 June 1935 Diavolitsi, Messinia |
| Died |
25 January 2011 (aged 75) Athens, Greece |
| Nationality |
 Greek |
| Occupation | Captain, Shipowner |
| Spouse(s) | Carmen Kiritsi |
| Children |
Konstantinos Achilleas Christos |
Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos (Greek: Βασίλειος Κωνσταντακόπουλος Vassilis Constantakopoulos, 29 June 1935 - 25 January 2011) was a Greek Captain, Shipowner and Entrepreneur.
Early life
"Captain Vassilis" - as widely known, was born in 1935 in the village of Diavolitsi, in Messinia, southwest Peloponnese. After growing up in Messinia, Captain Vassilis went to sea, gradually working his way up to master. When he finally came ashore in 1974 after 21 years, he established Costamare Shipping Company, which quickly expanded and today is one of the world’s largest containers owners/operators, ranks as a major player in the shipping world, with 58 ships. Captain Vassilis was married to Carmen Kiritsi since 1964, they had together 3 sons and 6 grandchildren[1]
Career
Apart from shipping, he was involved in other business activities as a forward-looking entrepreneur. Constantakopoulos also became involved in the tourism industry, and was the founder and president of TEMES S.A. developers of the new destination Costa Navarino in his homeland Messinia.
He was also the founder and president of Geohellas, an industrial minerals company involved in the mining, processing and marketing of industrial minerals from deposits in the Greek prefectures of Grevena and Kozani.[2]
Costamare
Today Costamare manages 58 ships and is a leading international owner of containerships, aggregating approximately 330,000 TEU, including 10 newbuild containerships on order and one second hand vessel to be delivered, ranging from about 1,000 TEUs to about 9,500 TEUs capacity. In 2006, Costamare celebrated 32 years in the maritime business, employing about 2.000 people [3]
Costa Navarino
Costa Navarino was the long-standing dream of Captain Vassilis, whose vision had always been focused on preserving, promoting and giving back to the land of his birth. His vision for Costa Navarino involved a bold and forward-looking development of high-end sustainable accommodations and facilities that would allow guests from all over the world to explore the natural beauty, history and traditions of his native Messinia, while at the same time creating jobs that would enable Messinians to stay in their homeland or even return [4]
Environment
Captain Vassilis had already become involved in the environmental movement since the early '80s.
He was co-founder of HELMEPA (Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association). HELMEPA was founded in 1982 by Greek Shipowners and Greek Seafarers with the aim of promoting the protection of the sea environment. He was also a founding member of HELMEPA Junior. HELMEPA Junior makes the younger generation the most effective courier of environmental messages while bringing the children closer to shipping, thus widening their future career horizons. Since 1993, more than 45,000 children, 6 to 13 years old, and 1,800 teachers have participated all over Greece. He chaired both organizations. In 1998 HELMEPA Junior was awarded the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) Global 500 prize.[5][6]
Charity and awards
Being a major benefactor to several causes both in his homeland and further afield, in 2000, Constantakopoulos and his wife also founded the Hellenic Studies Centre at the University of Beijing.
Constantakopoulos served on the Boards of Directors of numerous Greek and international organizations in the maritime and other fields and has been awarded by the Academy of Athens, the European Union and several cities and chambers for his activities and contribution.[7]
Death
Captain Vassilis Constantakopoulos died on January 25, 2011, at the age of 76 having fulfilled his dreams and vision both for land and sea.[8]