Greek shipowners are among the net gainers in the global financial crisis, as they have managed to consolidate their domination of the global industry since 2009, while other national fleets have weakened.

According to data released by Clarksons, the world’s biggest shipbroker, the size of the Greek-owned fleet has grown by 70 percent since 2009 thanks to major investments by Greek shippers in the last few years. They now control 18 percent of the global fleet in terms of capacity, which amounts to 333 million deadweight tons, plus another 40 million dwt under construction.

Clarksons figures show that in terms of the ships’ gross tonnage, Greeks control 16 percent of the world’s fleet, or 196 million tons, followed by Japan (13 percent) and China (11 percent). Germany ranks fourth with 7 percent, but in 2009 it ranked third with 9 percent, ahead of China. It appears that Germany has weakened the most since then, while China has managed to double its fleet.

According to Clarksons, the region of Athens and Piraeus is the top shipping center in the world on the basis of companies based in Attica and the fleet they control, ahead of Tokyo and Hamburg.

