By Paris Tsirigotis

 

The Athens/Piraeus ecosystem showed its strength in the field of ship management, gaining a place in the list of the world's leading shipping centers.

 

The survey, prepared on an annual basis by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua and the British company Baltic Exchange (Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Center Development Index, ISCDI), ranks the Greek center in seventh place internationally in 2024, from the eighth place it occupied in 2023.

 

"Greece continues to play one of the most important roles in the global shipping industry, as more than 1,000 shipping offices are based in Athens or the wider Attica region," the authors of the study pointed out.

 

By 2022, more than 5,500 ships or about 22% of the international fleet were owned by Greeks, according to data from the Hellenic Shipowners' Union cited by the study.

 

"The strength of the Greek shipping community is on the rise, since the number of ships has grown by more than 50% in the last decade," they emphasized.

 

The Greeks control 31% of the world tanker fleet, 25% of bulk carriers, 22% of LNG carriers, 15% of chemical and product tankers, 11% of LPG carriers and 8% of containerships.

 

Technology hub

 

Apart from ship ownership, the Greek shipping center is also emerging as a center of innovation and technology.

 

"Athens is participating more and more in shaping the future of maritime technologies," the researchers noted

 

As they explained, "the Greek capital is home to innovative and dedicated start-ups, working closely with the large shipowner community to develop unique and modern solutions that enhance the capabilities of fleet managers. These technology companies are spreading and providing their solutions to shipowners around the world."

 

Greek shipowners sign long-term charter agreements

 

The crisis in the Red Sea has drastically changed the landscape of the containerships market. At a time when most analysts expected a further correction in rates due to massive deliveries of new vessels from shipyards, the rerouting brought about by the Houthi attacks increased the distances traveled by ships along with the demand for tonnage.

 

Thus, most liner companies are chasing every vessel available for charter, returning at the same time to the shipyards for new tonnage orders, which also demonstrates their optimism about the course of the market.

 

In this environment, Greek shipowners managed to secure new long-term charters for their fleets.