Union of Greek Shipowners

"Seven Seas"
by Athina Rachel Tsangari

On the occasion of its 100 years anniversary, the UGS commissioned the renowned filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari to create a film that salutes the Greek seafaring family which laboured at home and in the far corners of the Earth to reach and retain the summit of world shipping.
Enjoy Seven Seas, a tribute to the Greek maritime tradition and its legacy.

Press releases

The Union of Greek Shipowners underlines the urgent need to normalize repatriation and crew replacement procedures

Piraeus, 13.7.2020

With the pandemic continuing to spread around the globe, the need for uninterrupted operation of international shipping, which serves 80% of world trade, remains a fact of vital importance.

However, in order for shipping to fulfill its role, shipping companies must be able to safely and efficiently man their ships and make the necessary crew changes. However, so far, despite the interventions of international shipping organisations and of many maritime countries, including the Greek government, the various current restrictions on travel around the world are preventing crew changes.

Greek shipping confirms its commitment to implementing the U.S. order to ban trade and economic transactions with Venezuela and other countries.

Piraeus, 16.6.2020

On Monday 15/6/2020 and in the wake of the recent sanctions imposed by the U.S. Government on Greek-owned ships, the President of the Union of Greek Shipowners, Mr. Theodore Veniamis, met with the U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Mr. Geoffrey R. Pyatt, at the U.S. Embassy. Mr. Veniamis emphatically stated that the Union of Greek Shipowners remains committed to implementing U.S. sanctions measures and would continue to urge its members to refrain from conducting any business with Venezuela until there is a change in regime.

Greek Shipowners applaud the “heroes” of the sea

Piraeus, 10.4.2020

In the whirlpool of the pandemic that humanity is currently experiencing, and with the undivided attention of all to the unequal war being waged on land with the sacred goal of preserving human life and public health, the wish of the people of the shipping industry to pay tribute to the indispensable role of shipping, and most importantly to the ships’ human capital who constitute the driving force of it, is more than timely.

Theodore E. Veniamis

President of the UGS

“Within our national borders, the challenge for but also the vision of Greek shipping remains the immediate enhancement of the competitiveness of the Greek register, in order to stop the flagging-out of ships, before the situation becomes irreversible, as well as the revival of the seamanship of our nation. The two interrelated issues need a holistic approach and strategy and are priorities of national maritime policy.

In this context, the recent legislative initiatives for the signing-on of Greek seafarers onboard ships, flying the Greek flag, will give a new impetus and dynamics to the Greek register, making it an attractive choice for our ships. At the same time, young people, seeking employment and vocational opportunities, can now pursue a career in the maritime profession, as they can be recruited on competitive terms, compatible with those in the international maritime labour market. In this respect and due to the recent change in the legal framework for graduates of the Vocational High Schools with Maritime Focus, they have regained the right to be promoted up to the position of Master and Chief Engineer and this is a most positive development.

The challenges facing merchant shipping internationally in the near and medium future are many and varied. However, Greek shipping has strengthened historically in times of crisis and has the foundations to maintain its leadership, offering our country exceptional economic, diplomatic and strategic advantages.”

Shipping today

Greek shipping and the economy

The pace of global economic activity remained weak throughout 2019, with declining momentum in manufacturing activity and rising trade and geopolitical tensions, especially between the United States of America (U.S.) and China. Uncertainty about the future of global trading system and international co-operation more generally has had an impact on business confidence, investment decisions and global trade1, with trade volumes increasing by a marginal 0.3% in 2019². Projections for trade volume growth in 2020, prior to the new coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, hovered around 2.7%3, denoting a fragile recovery anyway. The unprecedented global crisis that was brought about by the coronavirus pandemic has made the outlook for the global economy and international seaborne trade for 2020 even more precarious and gloomy. For example, the World Trade Organization (WTO) forecasts4 that the world trade is expected to fall by between 13% and 32% in 2020.

Shipping policy

The UGS, representing the interests of Greek-owned shipping, follows closely developments in the area of shipping policy, engaging constructively in the formulation of the collective...

Maritime Safety and Protection of the Environment

Maritime safety and the protection of the environment depends on a chain of collective responsibility, namely, flag states, port states, shipowners, ship operators, shipbuilders....