Νew data by Veson and Clarksons confirm that the Greek-owned ocean-going shipping industry controls not only the largest tanker fleet in the world in terms of capacity, but also the largest in value. This shows the qualitative difference with its competitors.

Greeks have the largest order book specifically for new-build tankers, showing the evolution, modernization and strengthening of the fleet, as the Greek shipping industry is going through the most active shipbuilding period since 2008.

The value of the active Greek-owned tanker fleet is estimated at $66.3 billion, placing Greece at the top. China follows with $39.6 billion, ahead of Japan with $24.5 billion, Singapore with $20.2 billion and South Korea with $16.2 billion.

Alongside the dominance of energy carriers, significant renewal activity is recorded in the entire merchant fleet, as orders were placed for 328 new constructions (including cargo, container and gas carriers) in a period of seven months, with a total value of $28.5 billion.

According to the data concerning the entire shipping industry regardless of ship type, China maintains first place in the total volume of tonnage under construction. In April it had 38.5 million compensated gross tonnage (cgt) compared to 25.7 million cgt in Greece. The Greek shipping capital also records stable activity.

For the entire fleet, the escalation of orders was noted since last November, when contracts were recorded for 56 new construction projects, while in February orders were given for 66 ships of all types, with an estimated value of $5.9 billion. The data confirms that since the beginning of the year, Greek shipowners have contracted more new construction projects in all categories compared to their Chinese competitors.

Tanker primacy is undisputed, as the total value of Greek orders exclusively for this type of ship amounts to $39.89 billion. This far exceeds the corresponding value of Chinese tankers, which has orders of $9.52 billion. The next largest tankers are Singapore with $8.61 billion, Hong Kong with $5.13 billion and the UK with $5.08 billion.

In the 2026 tanker order book, in addition to the 139 VLCC vessels, there are also orders for 100 Suezmax and 46 Aframax vessels.

Source: Ekathimerini.com