The gross tonnage of the Greek merchant marine fleet further dropped in December, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
Despite the significant renewal and development of the Greek-owned fleet, it seems that the Greek flag is becoming less and less preferable by Greek shipowners.
Ships in the tonnage group over 30,000 amounted to 378 with 32.2 million GRT in December 2024, compared to 392 ships and 33.2 million GRT in December 2023 (a decrease of 3.5% and 3% respectively).
Indeed, the difference with the corresponding month of 2022 reached 7%, while from month to month (November 2024 – December 2024) it was 0.7%.
Ships in the tonnage group 20,000-30,000 totaled 52 with 1.36 million GRT in December 2024, from 56 ships and 1.48 million GRT in the same month of 2023 (a decrease of 7.1% and 8% respectively).
Compared to December 2022, the difference in ships was 17.4% and in GRT 18.4%.
In individual figures, cargo ships decreased from 357 (10.2 million gt) in December 2023 to 353 (9.6 million gt) in 2024. This decrease translates into a loss of four ships and 600 thousand GRT.
The picture is similar in tankers, where a decrease was recorded from 416 (25.03 million GRT) in 2023 to 409 (24.6 million GRT) in 2024, with the Greek-flagged fleet losing seven ships and approximately 450,000 GRT in capacity.
Overall, in December 2024 the strength of the Greek fleet stood at 1,832 ships (over 100 GRT), with a total capacity of 35,586,905 GRT. Of these, 378 were large ocean-going ships of over 30,000 gross tonnage.
Compared to November of the same year, the number of ships remained unchanged, however in terms of tonnage there was a decrease of 0.6%, while the drop compared to October 2024 was 1.6%.
The difference was even greater compared to December 2023 and 2022, where the difference reached 3% and 7% respectively.
