In a prestigious award ceremony held at the Armed Forces Officers Club – LAED, by Liberty Press on Sunday, June 18, 2023, Capt Mattheou received the Personality of the year award, in recognition to his significant contribution to shipping industry, including innovations in Ship Management, efforts to promote sustainable practices and exemplary leadership.
Capt Mattheou was included in the luxurious album “Personalities of Greek Shipping 2023” of the shipping newspaper “Maritime Economies.”
In his interview at the album “Personalities of Greek Shipping 2023” to the question “How do you see the future of Greek shipping in this global geopolitical unstable environment?”, Mr. Mattheou replied that the war in our geographical and business neighborhood, as well as the recent, ongoing pandemic, demonstrate that decision-makers need to study multi-level threats and formulate long-term strategies based on sustainability and resilience of the environment and available energy re sources. Global trade serves billions of people worldwide, with 90% of goods moving by sea. Shipping infrastructure and related services were under pressure and alternatives to products traded through the Black Sea were sought.
Over time, conflicts between important and powerful countries in various regions of the globe have created uncertainty and restructuring in the execution of maritime transport work, as well as opportunities for profit, the formation of new agreements and partnerships, as well as bold business decisions, a field in which Greek ship owners have always excelled.
In addition, in order to achieve the goal of low carbon emissions of the global fleet (in the context of reducing the carbon foot print of shipping by 40% by 2030 and an additional 50% by 2050), changes have begun and are being implemented in the way shipping operations are conducted, with ship owners turning to new types of ship design and equipment, but also their operational operation. The data of the recent survey on the Greek owned fleet by the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee in London give a very optimistic and strong picture, with 199 vessels on order (47 Oil Tankers, 3 Chemical Tankers, 63 LNG/LPG, 30 Bulk Carriers, 53 Container Carriers and 3 Ro/Ro).
Greek ship owners are constantly investing in new, energy-efficient ships and environmentally friendly equipment. The average age of the Greek-owned fleet is lower than the global average. Representing 21% of the world’s tonnage and 60% of Europe’s, the fleet is constantly being renewed, through pioneering decisions and bold investments by Greek ship owners. Our shipping industry, quantitative and qualitative, remains dominant and competitive in the midst of crises and international challenges, turning the occasional data into opportunities. Based on the Union of Greek Ship owners’ Annual Report 2021-2022, Greek ship owners are steadily investing in larger ships that also have greater efficiency and environmental benefits due to economies of scale.
Since 2014, the increase in capacity (in dwt) of the Greek-owned fleet is much greater than the increase in the number of ships. In 2014, the average tonnage of Greek-owned ships was 71,308 dwt, while today it is estimated at 86,247 dwt, a number almost double as that of the world fleet. The above figures, combined with the fact that the vast majority of world trade is traded by sea, clearly demonstrate not only the strong but the leading position and dominant role played by Greek shipping in the international economic scene.
In addition, mention should be made of the strengthening of Greece’s competitive position in the international shipbuilding market, with the domestic shipbuilding units of Syros, Elefsina and Skaramangas recovering, gaining the trust and support of ship owners. The shipyards of Skaramanga, Elefsina and Neorion in Syros are the nuclei of the shipbuilding and ship repair industry in Greece. They have significant advantages in relation to their geographical location, their basic infrastructure and the experience and know-how of their staff.
Moreover, it is a fact that the shipbuilding industry is a corner stone and an integral part of the economy of national and international maritime transport, contributing to general maritime development and ensuring foreign exchange inflows, while at the same time it can prevent ship owners from cooperating with shipyards in other countries.
For all this, it is everyone’s wish that Greek shipyards will operate complementary and cooperating with each other, so that Greece can position itself competitively in the international ship building market, something that has already begun to become more and more visible, since many ship owners, Greek and foreign, trust our shipbuilding units by bringing their ships to Greece.
