COVID-19 has struck another blow to well-laid plans as the Maritime Heritage Week and the 13th European Maritime Heritage (EMH) conference which were to have been held in Pylos in September have been postponed to next year.
The event which was to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Greek Independence has been put on hold because of difficulties to travel that would affect key international speakers who were to have attended this year’s conference.
“The EMH conference is an event through which we wanted to embrace naval traditions and values from the wider Eastern Mediterranean area thus showing that the sea and its supreme maritime crafts know no borders. In fact, maritime traditions and values are a world heritage and an enduring legacy in our spiritual and cultural future” said a statement from the organisers, the Panhellenic association Proteas and the not for profit Hellenic Maritime Heritage (Argos CNPC) .
The organisers said that while they had planned for every contingency, COVID-19 travel restrictions that would have restricted leading international speakers proved to be the biggest obstacle for this year’s event.
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“The greatest difficulty of all, came as a result of the inability of our EMH partners to secure the participation of reputable researchers and speakers in the conference, as they were unable to ensure their unhindered travel to Greece. …a prestigious scientific conference cannot be held with last minute preparations. It requires time, effort, coordination, synergies and organization that for the time being is not possible due to the pandemic.
“We have decided with great regret, to postpone the Maritime Heritage Week for 2022, trusting that the expected conditions will be favourable and allow everything to be as we would like,” said the organising team. Details of when the Maritime Heritage Week and conference will next be held will be announced at a later stage.
