The General Assembly of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has unanimously elected Ansis Zeltiņš as its new Chair. Zeltiņš, who has served as CEO of the Freeport of Riga Authority since 2017, brings over 20 years of maritime industry experience.
He has represented Latvia in various international organizations, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and has served on the board of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). He holds a chief mate’s qualification for vessels of 3,000 GT and above and has been ESPO’s Vice Chair since 2022.
Zeltiņš takes over from Zeno D’Agostino, who chaired the organization for the past two years. Additionally, the General Assembly elected two new Vice Chairs: Gerardo Landaluce Calleja, President of the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay since 2019, and Cédric Virciglio, Strategic Planning Director at Haropa Port since 2021.
“I am honoured to lead the most professional and strongest industry team of the European Sea Ports Organisation. Our strength is proven, as well as our wide competence, unity and ever-present partnership spirit. Together with the ESPO team, we will put our efforts to continue cementing these values to assist Europe’s ports – whether small or big, in building a sustainable and still very competitive, European port environment,” stated upon his election, Zeltiņš.
