Ship management

Greek shipowners were once again the global leaders in fleet investment in 2019, according to the year-end review by VesselsValue.
Greek shipowners topped the world rankings in newbuilding orders in 2019 with $5.29 billion, while the Chinese were the leaders in secondhand orders with 4.41 billion euros.

New ship orders around the world are on the increase, albeit at a slow rate as shipowners remain cautious, VesselsValue reports, but the outlook seems to favor a rise in new order prices in shipping, a global industry where Greek owners hold a commanding position.

Since the beginning of the season, the inspections of the tourist boats in Varna and the region have begun, said Captain Valentin Enchev, director of the Maritime Administration. He inspected the boats in the resort of Kamchia.

Greek shipowners have invested more than $10.4 billion in vessel acquisitions in the year to date, according to shipbroker data.

Allied Shipbroking reports that the value of used ships acquired within 2018 has already reached $4.368 billion, while Golden Destiny said that the value of newbuilds ordered up until October amounted to $6.07 billion.

An innovative and technologically advanced broker has come up with a new platform, VesselBot, to facilitate the time-consuming and at times chaotic process of chartering merchant ships.

"Don't shoot shipping," the head of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS), Theodore Veniamis, entreated last Friday on behalf of an industry that feel it is getting more than a fair share of the blame for global marine pollution.