The Centre of Maritime History (CMH) of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies was founded in 2017 by Professor Gelina Harlaftis and Researcher Apostolos Delis. Although the CMH/IMS is a relatively new, the field of maritime history was formed internationally as an independent discipline back in the 1980s; Gelina Harlaftis pioneered by introducing the field in Greec. It was twenty years ago, in 2005, when the first maritime history group was created at the Department of History of the Ionian University; it was then that the first website marehist.gr was created operating until recently. The CMH/IMS, incorporates all the previous research, activities and experience and is now a unique research site dedicated exclusively to maritime history, promoting the study and deeper understanding of the subject.

The research team of the CMH is constantly developing and broadening its scientific interests, seeking new areas and perspectives in maritime history as well as its promotion and dissemination to the wider public. Now based at the Institute for Mediterranean Studies of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), the network of CMH’s collaborators includes members from Greek universities, such as the Ionian University, the University of Piraeus, the University of the Aegean and the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, as well as from foreign universities and institutions from Romania, Turkey, Croatia, Italy, France, Spain, Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.

The CMH offers a valuable platform of communication on the development o maritime history devoted to Greek and international research in a subject that contributes significantly to the understanding of history and cultural heritage in the Mediterranean and beyond.