Lloyd's List: 14 Greeks Among the 100 Most Influential Figures in Global Shipping

Vangelis Marinakis in 16th Place - The Greek with the Most Significant Rise in the Last Two Years.

This year's list of the 100 most influential figures in global shipping, curated by the British Lloyd's List, includes 14 personalities representing the Greek shipping community.

In this year's "One Hundred People" list, Greek shipowners are ranked high. However, the noteworthy rise of Vangelis Marinakis, who moved up from 22nd place in 2023 to 16th, stands out once again. It should be noted that over the last two years, he has climbed 25 places, the most significant rise among Greek shipowners.

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Topping the list is Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, who is described as particularly effective and popular.

Indicative of the concerns and geopolitical challenges facing the shipping industry, Yahya Sare'e, spokesperson for the Houthis, holds the second position on the list as a significant "influence factor" for the fate of shipping this year.

"The threat from the Houthi rebels in Yemen is dramatically increasing, thanks to an ever more diverse network of political alliances, military suppliers, and economic support networks now extending through numerous terrorist organizations," the report states.

In the same vein, a shadow fleet ranks 8th in the overall list: "Numbering just over 660 ships, this fleet poses a significant risk to the rule-based maritime industry."

Vangelis Marinakis

The British Lloyd's describes Vangelis Marinakis as a maritime leader with "a bold long-term vision, yet a realistic deal-maker." They add, "Just as his English football club, Nottingham Forest, climbs high in the Premier League, so has the great Greek shipowner Vangelis Marinakis continued his ascent in our rankings."

Marinakis exerts influence far beyond the maritime sector—into football and media in his homeland, Greece.

"However, in our industry, the notable reason for his higher position this year is that Capital Group has arguably surpassed every other Greek shipping company in its ambitious investment in the energy transition necessary for the industry's decarbonization."

In addition to ordering 18 modern liquefied natural gas carriers, six of which are still under construction for delivery in 2026 and 2027, the group has invested in six mid-sized gas carriers capable of carrying ammonia and four unique multi-gas carriers that can transport liquid CO2.

This expanding fleet has been consolidated under the Nasdaq-listed company formerly known as Capital Product Partners, controlled by Marinakis. Lloyd's notes that the company recently rebranded to Capital Clean Energy Carriers and is on track to become the listed company with the largest and youngest energy transition fleet on the US Stock Exchange.

Capital was one of five founding members invited by Lloyd's Register to launch its new Shipping Emissions Reduction Center in Athens in 2024.

"However, Marinakis's success has been built on seeing both the forest and the trees. Alongside committing to the most modern ships, he maintains an enviable record of profitable buying and selling deals that keep the group on a growth trajectory," the report concludes.

Maria Angelicoussis

Maria Angelicoussis, head of the Angelicoussis Group, is in 12th place, as in 2023. She is the leading figure among the 14 Greek shipowners, and according to Lloyd's List, Maria Angelicoussis continues to expand and gradually shape the family shipping group for a sustainable future.

The growth in 2024 was even more pronounced with diversification in the tanker sector, expanding into shuttle tankers. The acquisition of 18 shuttle tankers from Altera Shuttle Tankers, announced in November 2024, operates in the North Sea, Brazil, and Canada's eastern coasts. It was one of the group's largest deals, surpassing 75 years of history.

Earlier in the year, the group debuted in the sector by ordering three shuttle tankers in South Korea, after winning a Petrobras tender. The three ships are expected to launch in 2027 and 2028 and will likely join the Altera platform.

The group's assets are valued at approximately $16.8 billion, with just over $14 billion representing the fleet's book value. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization for the first nine months of 2024 were an impressive $1.9 billion, while annual earnings are projected to average $1.8 billion over five years.

The group's fleet consists of 144 existing ships, distributed roughly equally among dry bulk carriers, tankers, and liquefied natural gas carriers, with an additional 23 ships on order, half of which are LNG carriers. Carbon emissions reduction and energy efficiency are top priorities for all companies within the group.

The group's training center, the Delphic Maritime Training Centre, is one of the most advanced in-house facilities of any shipping company.

George Prokopiou

George Prokopiou ranks 20th on the list, one position lower than in 2023, with Lloyd's list initially focusing on the Greek shipowner's real estate investments.

George Prokopiou recently acquired a portion of the iconic Astir Palace resort in Vouliagmeni worth $160 million and is independently investing $500 million in the ongoing real estate development in Elliniko, located nearby on the Athens Riviera, according to Lloyd's List.

In shipping, a glance at his order book for new vessels is enough to dispel any speculation about Prokopiou's future commitment to the sector.

By November 2024, the shipowner had signed contracts for nearly 100 vessels.

So far, he has ordered 56 tankers for Dynacom Tankers and 32 bulkers for Sea Traders. In addition, eight 200,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas carriers are under construction from a series of 14 ships. The LNG arm Dynagas has already received the first. The latest orders to emerge include a quartet of suezmax tankers to be built at the PaxOcean Zhoushan shipyard in China.

Compared to the ships Prokopiou was building two decades ago, the vessels are largely a new generation in terms of efficiency, although all tankers and bulkers will be powered by conventional fuels.

It's worth noting that many years ago, he foresaw the potential of LNG carriers traversing the Northern Sea Route and began his presence in the sector by building ice-class, winter-use LNG vessels.

In another unique project, Dynagas commissioned the first-ever floating storage and regasification units built in China.

Finally, Lloyd’s List comments on his acquisition of the Hellenic Shipyards (Skaramangas), whose facilities are undergoing extensive renovations under Prokopiou's ownership and have a full slate of ship repairs scheduled during their first year of reopening.

Angeliki Frangou

Angeliki Frangou ranks 24th, three places lower than in 2023. According to Lloyd's List, "Consolidating the dry bulk, tanker, and container fleets into a single entity allows Frangou and the U.S.-listed Navios to capitalize on market dynamics."

Last year was not only the 70th anniversary of Navios but also the 20th anniversary of the founding of her first publicly-listed company, International Shipping Enterprises (ISE), by Frangou in 2005 on Nasdaq.

Just weeks later, in February 2005, ISE won a competitive process to acquire Navios, the historic shipping subsidiary of US Steel Corporation. At that time, Navios was primarily a dry cargo operation, owning only six handymax bulk carriers, while others were on long-term charters.

As of November 2024, the publicly-listed Navios Maritime Partners manages 179 vessels that are either owned or under purchase option. The $5.7 billion fleet includes 75 dry bulk carriers, 48 container ships, and 56 tankers.

The consolidation of Navios's once fragmented fleet under the single umbrella of Navios Partners has created a large, diversified shipping company that Frangou now believes is better suited to weather the shipping cycles and contend with periods of even greater volatility, such as the present.

According to Ms. Frangou, diversification allows an owner to capitalize on market dynamics as they unfold, rather than relying on future predictions. Diversity encourages creativity "while taking less risk due to the larger margin of error we have."

Lloyd's List notes that few can claim to have navigated a turbulent period in the markets with the same success as Navios, utilizing traditional shipping values despite being publicly listed.

Melina Travlos

Melina Travlos ranks 26th, down from 25th in 2023. As president of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS), Lloyd's List notes that anyone holding the role, which dates back to 1916, deserves a prominent place in the newspaper's annual list.

Approaching the end of her initial three-year term, Melina Travlos has stayed true to her promise to be an ambassador not only for Greek shipping but for the entire industry, states Lloyd's List.

Indicative of her peers' perception of her leadership in the sector, she was appointed as the keynote speaker for the International Chamber of Shipping event on net-zero at COP28 in Dubai in December 2023.

She used the opportunity to promote a message of unity, stating, "If we can work together to achieve our common goals, the reward will be greater than just greening our industry; it will be greening all industries."

For Travlos, shipping is a vital bridge to global development and prosperity, and the industry is "our mission, our duty, our commitment."

Since being elected president of UGS, she has been highly effective in consolidating alliances, building on the work begun by her predecessor Theodore Veniamis.

Travlos is often seen as a breath of fresh air for encouraging closer social ties between the strong national shipping industry and Greece in general, the newspaper comments. While her role as president is the main reason she is included in this list, Lloyd's List notes that Travlos's shipping company is also noteworthy.

Neptune Lines is Greece's leading liner shipping company. Operating a fleet of 21 pure car and truck carriers with an extensive network of routes, the company has few, if any, peers in a country focused mainly on tramp shipping and providing capacity to charterers.

The Travlos Group also includes sister companies active in dry bulk and land-based logistics.

Other Greek Entries

Regarding the remaining nine Greek entries in Lloyd’s List’s top 100, they are as follows:

In 33rd place is Greek shipowner George Economou of the TMS Group, a shipowner, art collector, and technology enthusiast. The TMS Group has one of the largest private newbuilding order books and is looking forward to a new energy transition collaboration with Lloyd's Register.

Costis Constantakopoulos (35th place), CEO of Costamare, continues to expand his footprint in shipping as the Greek company celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Petros Pappas of Star Bulk (37th place), a Greek shipowner who has emerged as one of the few consistent consolidation players in the fragmented dry bulk shipping sector.

Peter Livanos of GasLog (49th place), increasingly focusing on CO2 and hydrogen shipping, while remaining a significant force in LNG and dry bulk sectors.

George Logothetis of Libra (63rd place), described as "a man who has thrived for decades by using a contrarian mantra: buy high and sell low."

Nikolas Tsakos of TEN ranks 76th (73rd place): "By opening the country's first private maritime academy, the Tsakos family remains true to its maritime roots."

Elpi Petraki (83rd place), president of WISTA International, seeks better representation for women in the maritime industry. Alongside the IMO, WISTA, under Petraki’s leadership, conducts the second Women in Shipping Survey, a crucial source of information on gender diversity in the industry.

Semiramis Paliou of Diana Shipping and Helmepa (87th place), an experienced shipowner has broadened the horizons for the two publicly-listed shipping companies she leads.

In 98th place is Professor Costas Grammenos of Bayes Business School, who has "guided and trained the most successful executives in the shipping industry for decades."

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