Greece remains the global leader in shipping, according to the annual report by the Union of Greek Shipowners (EEE), Ekathimerini reports.
Behind Greece is Japan, China, Singapore and Hong Kong, which together represent more than 50% of world capacity.
Even though Greece represents 0.16% of the global population, it controls 20.67% of the global shipping capacity and 54.28% of capacity in the European Union, according to 2019 data.
In the period 2007-2019, Greek shipowners more than doubled the carrying capacity of their fleet.
The main challenge for Greek shipping remains the “immediate strengthening of the Greek register’s competitiveness, so as to contain the outflow of vessels from it, before the situation becomes irreversible,” EEE President Theodore Veniamis notes in the report, adding also the need to revive the seafaring character of the Greek people.
He notes that the two interrelated issues (national register and maritime employment) need a holistic approach and strategy constituting the priorities of the national shipping policy.
Veniamis emphasises that it is absolutely clear that shipping has been inevitably hit by the shock of the world economy and trade due to the pandemic. He added that, to that end, the industry has asked the European institutions and banks to include shipping firms in the horizontal measures for the pandemic.
