Vassilis Constantakopoulos facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vassilis Constantakopoulos
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Constantakopoulos in 2010
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Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos
29 June 1935 Diavolitsi, Messinia, Greece
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| Died | 25 January 2011 (aged 75) Athens, Greece
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| Occupation | Captain, Shipowner |
| Spouse(s) | Carmen Kiritsi |
| Children | 3, including Christos |
Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos (Greek: Βασίλειος Κωνσταντακόπουλος Vassilis Constantakopoulos) was a Greek captain and shipowner. He was also a successful businessman who cared deeply about the environment. He was born on June 29, 1935, and passed away on January 25, 2011.
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A Life at Sea
Vassilis Constantakopoulos was born in 1935 in a village called Diavolitsi in Messinia, Greece. This area is in the southwest part of Peloponnese. He grew up there and then started working on ships. He worked very hard and slowly moved up, eventually becoming a master captain.
In 1974, after working in the shipping world for 21 years, he started his own company called Costamare Shipping Company. This company grew very quickly. Today, it is one of the biggest companies in the world that owns and operates ships that carry large containers. He was often known by everyone as Captain Vassilis.
Vassilis Constantakopoulos married Carmen Kiritsi in 1964. They had three sons and seven grandchildren.
Building Big Businesses
Captain Constantakopoulos was involved in many different businesses, not just shipping. He started and led Geohellas, a company that works with industrial minerals. This company mined, processed, and sold special minerals from places in Greece like Grevena and Kozani.
Costamare Shipping
Today, Costamare manages 58 ships. It is a top international company that owns container ships. These ships can carry a huge number of containers, about 330,000 TEU (which stands for "Twenty-foot equivalent unit," a way to measure container size). This number includes 10 new container ships that are being built and one used ship that will join the fleet soon. The ships range in size from small ones that carry about 1,000 containers to very large ones that carry about 9,500 containers. In 2006, Costamare celebrated 32 years in business and employed about 2,000 people.
Captain Constantakopoulos also started and led TEMES S.A. This company developed a new holiday spot called Costa Navarino, located in Messinia, which was his home region. Costa Navarino became known as a leading place for sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean Sea area. This means it was designed to be good for the environment and local communities.
Protecting Our Oceans
Captain Constantakopoulos started caring about the environment in the early 1980s. He helped create HELMEPA, which stands for the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association. HELMEPA was started in 1982 by Greek shipowners and sailors. Their main goal was to protect the sea environment from pollution. He was also a founding member of HELMEPA Junior and was in charge of both organizations.
HELMEPA and Young Environmentalists
HELMEPA Junior teaches young people to share important messages about protecting the environment. It also helps children learn more about shipping and shows them possible jobs they could have in the future. Since 1993, more than 45,000 children between 6 and 13 years old, along with 1,800 teachers, have taken part in this program all over Greece. In 1998, HELMEPA Junior won the Global 500 prize from UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), which is a big award for environmental work.
Helping Others and Awards
Vassilis Constantakopoulos gave money and support to many good causes in Greece and other countries. In 2000, he and his wife started the Hellenic Studies Centre at Peking University in China. This center helps people learn about Greek culture and history.
Captain Constantakopoulos was also part of the leadership teams for many Greek and international organizations, both in shipping and other areas. He received awards from important groups like the Academy of Athens, the European Union, and various cities and business groups for all his hard work and contributions.
His Final Years
Vassilis Constantakopoulos passed away on January 25, 2011. He was 76 years old.
