Greek-owned oceangoing shipping contributed 150 billion euros to the country’s balance of payments over the last decade, while its economic activity generates between 7% and 8% of the Greek economy annually.
It directly and indirectly offers 160,000 jobs with an average salary almost three times higher than the average salary in the private sector, while Greek shipowners are estimated to make investments of around €1.5 billion each year in tourism, energy, real estate, technology, information, sports and others.
At the heart of Greek-owned shipping are approximately 750 ship management companies, the vast majority of which are based in Attica, making it a global shipping center around which a cluster of thousands of businesses operates.
Furthermore, the Greek shipping community, through humanitarian aid, either collectively or individually, is estimated to offer €400 million annually, with actions such as the scholarship program and the support of people such as those affected by the floods in Thessaly.
These figures were revealed, among others, by the re-elected president of the Union of Greek Shipowners (EEE), Melina Travlos, at the EEE annual general meeting. The president, who topped the election again, pointed out that the Greek-owned fleet corresponds to 20% of the global maritime transport capacity and is in this respect the largest in the world with 5,700 large ships.
Greek owners account for 25% of the global liquefied natural gas transport fleet, 30% of the tanker fleet and 25% of the dry-bulk fleet. At the same time, Greeks now control 8.1% of container ships and 8.3% of vehicle carriers.
Also, in the last year, the tonnage of Greek-ordered ships under construction grew 65%, to 17% of the global order book. Greeks are building 589 ships, with a tonnage of over 56 million tons. As for the European Union, the primacy of Greek-owned shipping, with a share over 60%, makes Greece dominant. As Travlos stated, “our Greece, 0.1% of the planet’s population and 0.2% of the global GDP, controls over 20% of global shipping.”