Passenger traffic is expected to be increased by 5% in 2024 compared to 2019 – a year when there were no restrictive measures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

According to Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), a total of 19 million passengers were transported in the main ports of the country in 2019.

 

Based on data shared by shipping agents with "Naftemporiki", a total of 16,158,000 million coastal passengers were handled by the country's largest port, Piraeus, compared to 14,976,000 in 2022 and 11,846,000 in 2021, an increase 8% and 35% respectively.

 

However, in view of the summer season and the positive messages for high performance in tourism in 2024, the competition of the ferry companies is already fierce on the free lines, where approximately 200 ships of the ferry companies participate, while increased interest is also shown on the 73 barren lines.

 

According to "Naftemporiki" sources, there is a strong interest in the line of Kythira, the western Cyclades and Lemnos, but also in smaller ones concerning local routes such as Aghia Kyriaki – Trikeri – Volos.

 

The tender for barren lines, which is expected to be concluded in approximately 20 days, concerns ships of three classes, which are defined based on their age. The younger the age, the higher the price estimated by the Ministry of Shipping.

 

In this way, an attempt is made to attract newer and more modern ships to serve lines that are not of commercial interest to the shipping companies.

 

Japan, China and Greece remain leaders in global shipping in terms of fleet value

 

 

According to the annual list of the world's top ten fleets presented by Vessel Values, Veson Nautical, Japan ranks first with a fleet value of 206.3 billion US dollars in assets, China second with a current value of 204 billion US dollars and Greece ranks third place with a fleet worth 169 billion US dollars.

 

The Greek tanker fleet has the highest value at 69.5 billion US dollars, surpassing China at 22.1 billion, which however owns more tankers. Greece is also the owner of the second largest LNG fleet, with 143 vessels and a fleet value of 31.1 billion US dollars.

 

Japan, which ranks first, has made significant investments in the tanker sector with the addition of nearly 100 vessels to the fleet, increasing the total value by around 15.5%.

 

In the specialized LNG and LPG carrier segments, Japan's fleets are worth 37.8 billion dollars and 13.4 billion dollars, confirming its dominance with 202 LNG carriers and 344 LPG carriers.

 

In addition, Japan leads the vehicle carrier market with 334 vessels, with a total value of 22.9 billion dollars.

 

China maintains its significant role with the largest fleet, counting 6,084 ships with a total value of 204 billion dollars.

 

China also owns the largest number of tankers and containers. The tanker fleet consists of 1,576 vessels with a total value of 47.4 billion and the container fleet of 1,011 vessels with a value of 42.6 billion.

 

The United States remains a major player, maintaining fourth place with a total fleet value of 99.9 billion, driven by its leadership in the 49-billion-dollar cruise sector.

 

The two leading cruise lines, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, are based in the US.

 

Despite the fleet value declining by a total of 4.7 billion dollars since the last report, the US maintains its dominance in the cruise industry.

 

The US also has the largest fleet by value at 2.5 billion US dollars.

 

Singapore and South Korea follow in fifth and sixth place respectively. The value of Singapore's fleet reaches approximately 85.7 billion.

 

Shipping statistics: Greece ranks first in many categories

 

Greek-owned shipping ranks second after China in terms of dwt (a unit of measurement that defines the weight of the cargo that a ship is allowed to carry), while Japan occupies the third position.

 

According to data shared with "Naftemporiki" by Veson Nautical, the Chinese fleet in terms of dwt has a total capacity of 420,064,563 million tons compared to 403,955,270 million tons of the Greek-owned fleet, which ranks second.

 

However, these data are in complete contrast to the data of the UN (UNCTAD), where the Greek-owned fleet in August 2023 occupied the first place in terms of dwt, with its total capacity of 393 million tons, at a considerable distance from China (302 million dwt) and Japan (238 million dwt).

 

The Clarksons figures, which were processed and published by BIMCO in November 2023, seem to be clearer. In the BIMCO measurement, only ships carrying cargo are recorded. In this measurement and in terms of dwt, the Greek shipowners once again hold the lead, with a percentage of the world fleet of 19%, while the Chinese follow with 15%.

 

According to Veson Nautical data, Japan is third with 294,890,188 million dwt, followed by Singapore with 133,401,900 dwt and South Korea with 98,153,4500 million dwt.

 

Third in value

 

Greece maintains the third position in world shipping with a fleet worth 169 billion US dollars, according to the annual World Fleet Values list of the top ten fleets in the world presented by VesselsValue.

 

The Greek tanker fleet has the highest value at 69.5 billion US dollars, followed by China at 22.1 billion US dollars, which however owns more tankers.

 

Greece is also the owner of the second largest LNG fleet, with 143 vessels and a fleet value of 31.1 billion euros.

 

The first place in fleet value is held by Japan, which controls assets worth 206 billion euros, up 5% compared to last year, followed by China, with a value of 204 billion US dollars.

 

Japan has made significant investments in the tanker sector, adding nearly 100 vessels to the fleet, increasing the total value by around 15.5%.

 

Once again, China also ranks first in ship ownership, with a total of 6,084 ships and a current fleet value of 204 billion US dollars.

 

Moreover, China owns the largest fleet of bulkers, both in terms of ships and in terms of value.