Athens, 6 June 2025 – The largest Offshore Safety Readiness Exercise ever held in Greece and the wider Eastern Mediterranean region, was successfully concluded on Thursday, 5 June 2025, at the Kavala Gulf. The National Exercise “Philippos 2025” was organized as an initiative of the Hellenic Hydrocarbons and Energy Resources Management Company (HEREMA), competent authority for the safety of offshore oil and gas operations, with the support of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The Exercise aimed to assess the relevant National Emergency Response Plan and took place in the context of the World Environment Day.
The “Philippos 2025” Readiness Exercise was conducted over seven hours at the Kavala Gulf, and more specifically at “Delta” – the main platform of the Prinos hydrocarbon production facility, managed by Energean.
The Hellenic Coast Guard led operations, implementing the national and local marine pollution response plan – in collaboration with the Kavala Port Authority and Energean. In addition, the Coast Guard cooperated with EMSA to activate the relevant European operational services.
In parallel with the national and operational response plan, the level of cooperation between competent authorities and entities (Fire Service, Coast Guard, search and rescue teams, environmental organizations, etc.) was also assessed, while the Exercise provided the additional opportunity for them to test their new high-precision technological means in the field.
As for operational resources, a total of 9 vessels and 3 vehicles participated at the Exercise – solely for readiness purposes in the context of the scenario:
– 1 fire-fighting vessel of the Fire Service
– 1 tanker for the collection of oil-related open sea remnants with an oil-spill detection system, and 1 offshore collection vessel of the EMSA
– 1 patrol vessel and 1 anti-pollution vessel of the Coast Guard
– 3 work vessels carrying anti-pollution equipment of Energean
– 1 private Rescue / FiFi1 (Fire-fighting) vessel
– 1 private vehicle for patient transport of Energean
– 1 truck vehicle for the collection of contaminated solid waste
– 1 tank truck vehicle for the collection of liquid petroleum waste
After the completion of the “Philippos 2025” Readiness Exercise and referring to the role of HEREMA in its implementation, CEO Aristofanis Stefatos, noted: “In the context of our country’s strategic plan to ensure its energy safety and transition, Greece is looking towards offshore solutions to develop critical infrastructure. Which is why this day is so important to us, as its implementation significantly contributes to the consolidation of safety culture regarding offshore activities. We are proud of the successful organization of the largest Offshore Safety Readiness Exercise ever held in Greece, and for the first time with the participation of both national and European authorities. Putting relevant national plans to the test, exercising in the field, assessing readiness, and identifying points of improvement are the tools that allow us to constantly update and upgrade the National Emergency Response Plans – always for the benefit of national security and the protection of both people and the environment.”
The Head of Marine Environment Protection Directorate of the Hellenic Coast Guard (H.C.G.), Captain Stylianos Markoulakis, stated: “Today on World Environment Day, the Emergency Response Exercise ‘Philippos 2025’, coordinated by HEREMA, was successfully conducted at an offshore energy facility. The H.C.G actively participated in the Exercise with vessels and personnel from the Kavala Central Port Authority and the Marine Environment Protection Directorate. During the Exercise, we followed the protocols of the ‘National Emergency Response Plan for Marine Pollution,’ while the relevant European mechanism was also deployed by EMSA and its anti-pollution vessels. The success of the ‘Philippos 2025’ Exercise highlights the importance of National Plans, as well as the collaboration and coordination of all involved parties for the effective response to marine pollution incidents. The protection of the marine environment is a key priority of the Hellenic Coast Guard.”
Commenting on the significance of such an Exercise, HSE Director at Energean Group, Vassilis Tsetoglou, said: “Yet again, a safety exercise conducted in Prinos highlighted the operational readiness and effectiveness of the processes established by Energean for responding to emergencies – both at the Kavala Gulf, as well as the rest of the areas in the Eastern Mediterranean where the company manages hydrocarbon reserves. In 2024, for yet another year, there were absolutely no incidents of marine pollution recorded in all six countries where we are active. Moreover, it’s worth mentioning that in our facilities across all countries only 0.35 cases of Lost Time Injury (LTI) were recorded per 1 million workhours – which corresponds to just one single incident per over 2.8 million workhours. These figures demonstrate our company’s excellent performance in Health, Safety, and the Environment – sectors of paramount priority for Energean. Congratulations are therefore in order for our colleagues and partners both for their performance in this critical sector, as well as the success of the ‘Philippos 2025’ large-scale Exercise that took place on June 5th to commemorate the World Environment Day. The great investment for CO2 storage in Prinos will become the new link in the chain of our excellent track-record.”
