The Hellenic Merchant Navy refers to the merchant navy of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services globally. It consists of the

merchant vessel A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which a ...

s owned by

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

civilians, flying either the

Greek flag The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the Blue-and-White (, ) or the Cyan-and-White (, ), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has 5 equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There ...

or a

flag of convenience Flag of convenience (FOC) refers to a business practice whereby a ship's owners Ship registration, register a Merchant vessel, merchant ship in a ship register of a country other than that of the ship's owners, and the ship flies the civil ens ...

. As of 2020, Greece is the largest ship owner country in the world in terms of

tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on '' tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a cal ...

; with a total

deadweight tonnage Deadweight tonnage (also known as deadweight; abbreviated to DWT, D.W.T., d.w.t., or dwt) or tons deadweight (DWT) is a measure of how much weight a ship can carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water Fresh water or ...

of 364 million tons and 4,901 Greek-owned vessels. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Today it is the second largest contributor to the national economy after

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags; however, some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.

History

is a maritime nation by tradition, as

shipping Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...

is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

and has been a key element of Hellenic economic activity since

ancient times Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...

. The Greeks continued to be involved and play a major role in shipping during the

Byzantine period The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

as well as during the Ottoman period, and Greek ships could be found especially in the ports of the eastern Mediterranean. In 1860s and after the War of Independence, the financial crisis saw some of these businesses collapse Nonetheless, the tradition of endowment continued, and it was shipping that funded institutions such as the

National Library of Greece The National Library of Greece () is the main public library of Greece, located in Athens. Founded by Ioannis Kapodistrias in 1832, its mission is to locate, collect, organize, describe and preserve the perpetual evidence of Greek culture and its ...

. During the Second World War the Greek shipping companies were seen operating in the Allied areas and placing their fleets under control of the British Merchant Marine. After the end of World War II the Greek-run fleets were able to re-establish themselves under their national flag. The changing dynamics saw them more closely aligned to their own national state, and the establishment of the Greek Merchant Marine service.

Development in Asia

Greek firms have managed to capture the expansion of Asia, particularly China. It is mostly the dry bulk shipping firms that have benefited from the development, since iron ore and coal are the two major resources that are required for a country's infrastructure to be taken to the next level. Since 2000, China has provided lucrative contracts both on the spot, and time charter market for dry bulk shipowners. As a result, many new shipping tycoons were created.

Shipowners

Traditionally Greek shipping has been run as a family business, with family members located in key ports or in key positions, and in the past with marriages cementing relationships between commercial dynasties. These close-knit families have allowed financially sensitive information to be kept within the local community, with many transactions kept within trusted family networks. Some historic shipping families include: From the 18th century: * Kountouriotis from

Hydra (island) Hydra, or Ydra or Idra (; , ), and in Ancient history, antiquity Hydrea, is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece, located in the Aegean Sea between the Myrtoan Sea and the Argolic Gulf. It is separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow strip of ...

* Miaoulis (Vokos) from

19th century: * Embirikos from

Andros Andros (, ) is the northernmost island of the Greece, Greek Cyclades archipelago, about southeast of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . It is for the most part mountainous, with many fruitful and ...

* Goulandris from

*Kourtzis from

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...

* Lemos from Oinousses *Lyras family from Oinousses * Mavroleon family from

Kasos Kasos (; , ), also Casos, is a Greek island municipality in the Dodecanese. It is the southernmost island in the Aegean Sea, and is part of the regional unit Karpathos-Kasos. The capital of the island is Fri. , its population was 1,223. ...

*Rethymnis family from

*Hadjilias family from

*Kulukundis family from

*Hadjipateras from Oinousses * Pateras from Oinousses

Chios Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...

*Fafalios from

*Pittas family from

* Ralli Brothers from

*Michalinos from

* Rodocanachi from

* Panayis Athanase Vagliano, from

Cephalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia (), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallonia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th-largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It is also a separate regio ...

, considered the "father of modern Greek shipping" The twentieth century saw more Greek shipping magnates established, including: * Alafouzos from

Santorini Santorini (, ), officially Thira (, ) or Thera, is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from the mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the southern ...

* Angelopoulos from Arcadia, Peloponnese * Chandris from

* Carras from

* Eugenidis from

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

* Frangou from

* Kulukundis and Mavroleon from

Latsis Latsis (; ) can be either a Greek surname or a Russified form of the Latvian language surname Lācis Lācis (Latvian orthography#Old orthography, Old orthography: ''Lahz(i)(s)''; feminine: Lāce) is a Latvian people, Latvian Latvian surname, surn ...

from Katakolo,

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

* Livanos from

* Marinakis from

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

* Niarchos from

Sparti Sparta (, ) is a city and municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. It lies at the site of ancient Sparta within the Evrotas Valley. The municipality was merged with six nearby municipalities in 2011, for a total population (as of 2021) of ...

*Peratikos from

Syros Syros ( ), also known as Siros or Syra, is a Greece, Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is south-east of Athens. The area of the island is and at the 2021 census it had 21,124 inhabitants. The largest towns are Ermoupoli, Ano S ...

* Polemis from

*Houlis from

Piraeus Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...

* Onassis from

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

* Soutos from

Samos Samos (, also ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...

* Vardinogiannis from

* Vernicos from Sifnos Contemporary (21st century) shipowners include also: * John Angelicoussis * Vassilis C. Constantakopoulos from

Messinia Messenia or Messinia ( ; ) is a regional units of Greece, regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese Administrative regions of Greece, region, in Greece. Until the implementatio ...

* George Economou (shipbuilder) *

Minos Kyriakou Minos Xenophon "Minas" Kyriakou (, ; 31 May 1942 – 2 July 2017) was a Greek media and shipping magnate and businessman. He was the president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and was the Presi ...

from Poros * Dimitris Melissanidis from Pontus * Pericles Panagopoulos * Leon Patitsas * George Prokopiou * Nikolas Tsakos from

Greek shipping companies

Some notable Greek shipping

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...

include: * Aegean Oil * Aegean Speed Lines (ferries) * Andriaki Shipping * Alpha Lines *

ANEK Lines ANEK Lines (Ανώνυμη Ναυτιλιακή Εταιρεία Κρήτης, ''Anonymi Naftiliaki Eteria Kritis'', Anonymous Shipping Company of Crete) is one of the largest passenger shipping companies in Greece. It was founded in 1967 by nu ...

(ferries) * Atlas Maritime *

Attica Group Attica Holdings S.A. is an operator of international ferry services in Europe. Attica Group's operations include its subsidiaries Superfast Ferries, which began in 1995 with the launch of its first ships, Superfast I & Superfast II, and Blu ...

(ferries) * Arcadia Shipmanagement Co. Ltd * Avin International * Blue star (ferries) * Capital Product Partners L.P. * Costamare * Ceres LNG Services * Danaos Corporation * Delta Tankers * DryShips Inc * Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd * European Seaways * Euroseas Ltd. * Hellenic Seaways * Kefalonian Lines * Levante ferries * Euroseas Ltd. * Maran Tankers * Majestic International Cruises * Navios Maritime Holdings * Nereus Shipping S.A. / CM Lemos * NGM Energy/Shipping * Ocean Rig * Overseas Shipholding Group- Stelmar Ltd * Polembros Maritime * Star Bulk Carriers *

Superfast Ferries Superfast Ferries is a Greece-based ferry company founded in 1993 by Pericles Panagopoulos, Pericles Panagopulos and Alexander Panagopoulos, Alexander Panagopulos. Superfast Ferries is a member of Attica Group and operates 5 car-passenger fer ...

(ferries) * Tsakos Energy Navigation *

Variety Cruises Variety Cruises is a private yacht cruise line based in Athens, Greece. It owns and operates a number of small cruise ships and yachts. The company was founded in 2006 by Lakis Venetopoulos. History Variety Cruises was established in 2006 fol ...

Ranks and rank insignia

;Deck Officers image:GR_mercantile_marine_Acting_Sub_Lieutenant.svg, Shoulder rank insignia of a deck cadet or apprentice officer of the Greek Merchant Marine (Dokimos Ploiarchos/Δόκιμος Πλοίαρχος) image:GR_mercantile_marine_Sub_Lieutenant.svg, Shoulder rank insignia of a lieutenant or 2nd officer or captain class C of the Greek Merchant Marine (Anthypoploiarchos/Ανθυποπλοίαρχος) image:GR_mercantile_marine_Lieutenant.svg, Shoulder rank insignia of a lieutenant commander or chief officer or captain class B of the Greek Merchant Marine (Ypoploiarchos/Υποπλοίαρχος) image:GR_mercantile_marine_Lieutenant_Commander.svg, Shoulder rank insignia of a staff captain of the Greek Merchant Marine (Yparchos/Ύπαρχος) image:GR_mercantile_marine_Commander.svg, Shoulder rank insignia of a master or captain class A of the Greek Merchant Marine (Ploiarchos/Πλοίαρχος) ;Engineer officers File:GR and CY Merchant Navy Chief Engineer Officer or Engineer Class A(Winter).jpg, Shoulder rank insignia of a Chief Engineer or Engineer class a of the Greek Merchant Marine (Alfa Michanikos/Α Μηχανικός) Engineer officers use exactly the same rank insignia as deck officers. The only difference is that "in between" the golden stripes, the color is not black but dark purple. In some cases, dark red has been used; however, dark red refers usually to electrician officers. Engineer officers come from the same Merchant Marine academies as bridge officers. After graduation from the Marine Academy, bridge officers undergoing a series of rigorous training in order to specialize for specific types of ships that they are about to serve on board (LNGC, LPG, VLCC, Dry Cargo, Suezmaxes, Ro/Pax, ULCC etc.) and to meet the stringent requirements of various international conventions (SOLAS, STCW, MARPOL etc.) and companies' managing systems. Some of the training options include (but are not limited to) the following: advanced oil/gas/chemical tanker training, ECDIS, ISM, ISPS, heavy weather navigation, cargo control systems and procedures, navigation deck simulators, electronic navigation systems, integrated navigation systems (INS), radio communications, dynamic positioning systems (DP), passage planning and procedures etc. All of the above training takes place in private marine education centers approved by the Hellenic Government and internationally by the IMO. ''All other officers found on board Hellenic Merchant Marine Vessels come from universities and other higher education institutes.'' ;Rank exceptions There are two more ranks that can be found on Hellenic Merchant Marine vessels, namely staff captain and staff chief engineer. Both these ranks can be found only on passenger and cruiser-pleasure

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

s. These officers assist the captain and the chief engineer in turn while both have acquired the diploma of captain and chief engineer. However, they have a smaller service record and wait for their turn for the top of the line rank. Note that the highest ranks that can be obtained in the Hellenic Merchant Marine are the captain and the chief engineer, and both officers come from the Merchant Marine Academy. No other type of officer can reach these ranks. ;Other officers Other officers that serve on board Hellenic Merchant Marine vessels are economic officers, electricians, doctors and radio officers. ;Promotions Hellenic Merchant Marine officers get their promotions after a 2-year service period from 2nd officer rank to chief officer rank and after 6 months of studies and exams at the KESEN center. KESEN stands for Center of Further Education and Training of Masters and Officers. To become captain requires a 2-year sea service period and 15 days of studies and exams at the KESEN center. All other officers are promoted after evaluations from the ship owning company.

References

External links

Greek Ministry of Mercantile Marine

Shipping directoryGreek Shipping PublicationsPosidonia-Bi-annual International Shipping Exhibition

* George Bitros and Ioanna Minoglou: ''Entrepreneurship and market order: Some historical evidence'

Munich University Personal RePEc Archive
Review of maritime transport 2007The marine sector in GreeceHellenic Shipping Business Networking
{{Shipping in Greece Merchant navies by country

Shipping Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...