The number of Greek shipowners joining the ‘tonne millionaires’ club – controlling a fleet of one million dwt has reached a record 78.
Reports indicate that at the beginning of May, the 78 companies from the Greek cluster owning fleets of over one million dwt were trading 3,316 oceangoing ships.
This number is some 26 ships down on the previous 12 months but the total of 355.8 million dwt was an increase of just under six million dwt and up some 12 million dwt over 2021. It is considerably larger than the 2020 tonne-millionaire fleet of 338 million dwt but still trailing the number of ships in the hands of Greece’s ‘tonne millonaires’ at the time.
The general growth in the millioniares’ fleets reflects delivery of ships to Greek interests that were ordered since 2018 as well as purchases made in the secondhand market, a sector in which Greek owners have remained leading players for a number of years.
Another feature is the turnover of fleets in the list. This year there are five new entries while three are missing, including the long-standing Eletson group which occupied position 68 last time round but has been in steady decline as the group has changed its focus from tankers to gas carriers. It’s current fleet of 23 vessels is 953,415 dwt.
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