By Paris Tsirigotis

Global orders for new tankers are reaching record levels, with Greek shipowners playing a leading role in the latest ordering boom.

According to Signal Ocean, the orderbook for crude oil tankers exceeded 600 vessels (630) at the end of the first half of 2026, surpassing the previous record set in 2008. A second all-time high was also recorded in the first six months of 2026, with orders placed for 261 tankers, exceeding the 234 vessels contracted during the entire 2006.

Almost all of the new orders — 98% — are for conventionally fuelled vessels, while only 2% are for ships powered by alternative fuels, all of them LNG-fuelled.

Greek shipowners are among the main investors in the current ordering cycle. According to Xclusiv, they account for 22% of VLCCs under construction, 30% of Suezmax tankers and 18% of Aframax tankers currently on order.

Signal Ocean said VLCCs dominate the current ordering cycle.The unprecedented surge in newbuilding orders has been driven overwhelmingly by the VLCC segment, which accounted for 78% of all tanker orders contracted in the first half of 2026.

This marks a sharp contrast with the previous major ordering wave in 2006, when new orders were distributed almost evenly across the VLCC, Suezmax and Aframax segments.

Greek shipowners expand containership investment

Strong demand and profitability continue to support containerships with capacities between 1,000 and 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), while the short-term outlook for the sector also remains positive.

The vessels have attracted significant investment from Greek shipowners and are in high demand from major liner operators including MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM and Cosco, which together control about 58% of global container shipping capacity through owned and chartered fleets. Greek owners currently have 216 vessels of these sizes on order, including 128 feeder and slightly larger ships that are gradually entering feeder services.

The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index

The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) rose for a tenth consecutive week, reaching its highest level since August 2024. According to research by Naftemporiki based on shipping company websites and shipbuilding databases, the largest Greek-controlled containership orderbook belongs to Danaos Corp, controlled by Dr. John Coustas, with 29 vessels ranging from 1,800 TEUs to 9,000 TEUs.

Capital Maritime, controlled by Evangelos Marinakis, follows with 23 containerships on order, including vessels of around 9,000 TEUs, 3,000 TEUs and 2,000 TEUs. Costamare, controlled by Kostis Konstantakopoulos, has 22 vessels under construction, with capacities of 3,800 TEUs and 9,000 TEUs, while George Economou’s TMS Group has a similar number of containerships on order.

Global Ship Lease, controlled by George Youroukos, announced 15 additional newbuilding contracts in June, while Aristides Pittas-controlled Euroseas has 12 containerships under construction.

In total, 25 Greek shipping companies currently have containerships on order. According to Alphaliner, limited vessel availability continues to support time-charter rates, which remain at high, albeit stable, levels across most containership segments.

Growing port congestion worldwide is also benefiting independent shipowners such as Greek operators by tying up a significant number of vessels and adding further pressure to an already tight supply of available capacity.

In the Middle East, Alphaliner said container liner operators have no plans to return regular services to the region. Demand remains strong for vessels with capacities between 7,500 TEUs and 10,000 TEUs. Ocean Network Express (ONE) has chartered three older 8,500-TEU vessels — Conti Courage, Conti Chivalry and Conti Conquest — for delivery in 2028. The Samsung-built vessels, delivered in 2005-2006, were fixed on 36-month charters at daily rates of US$31,000.

In the 2,700-2,900 TEU segment, the eco-design Naikai CGX14 2800, with a capacity of 2,888 TEUs, was fixed on a 30-month charter at a daily rate of US$31,000. For vessels below 2,000 TEUs, the 1,732-TEU William, a Wenchong 1700 design built in 2009, was chartered in Asia by X-Press Feeders for 12 months at a daily rate of US$33,000. In the 1,000-1,500 TEU segment, CMA CGM extended the Atlantic charter of the 1,338-TEU Contship Gin, an MRC 1100 design, for a further 24 months at a daily rate of US$21,500.