A. Maritime Shipping Families Greece
The historical shipping families of Chios include: Andreadis, Angilicousis, Apodiakos, Carris, Chandris, Dromocaitis, Economou, Fafalios, Frangos, Georgandis, Glyptis, Halcousasis, Kallikis, Livanos, Los, Michalinos, Michalos, Niarchos, Pittas, Pailos, Peraticos, Rallis, Rodocahachis, Scarmanga, Schilizzis, Tsangaris, Tsakos, and Xylas. To the best this author could determine, the following families from Chios are still active in the shipping industry (which is almost all of them). Much of this information came from the World Wide Web and the book by Ioannis Theotokas, Leadership in World Shipping: Greek Family Firms in International Business.
Andreadis, Golden Union Shipping SA. This group also includes two other families from Chios, including Veniami and Gaveriel. Angilicousis, Anangel Maritime Services and Kristin Navigation Inc. Apodiakos, Blue Planet Shipping Ltd., Piraeus. Carras, Carras Ltd. New York and Piraeus. Economou, DryShips, Inc. Publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Fafalios, offices in Piraeus, London, New York and Chios. Frangos, Kyveernitis Shipping Co. Ltd. Glyptis, active in the buy-sell markets of ships. Halcousasis, Radial Shipping Company and Halcousasis Z. and G. Co. Ltd. Kallikis, Pikey Navigation SA. Livanos, they manage their fleet through S. Livanos Hellas SA Ltd., Ceres Hellenic Shipping Enterprises, and Sun Enterprises Ltd. The fleet consists of primarily large tankers and bulk carriers the Livanos family still recruits its personnel from its native island of Chios where it has an office, in 2001 the family became the first Greek shipping company to begin operating a LNG fleet. Los, Vrontados Maritime Co. Ltd. in Piraeus. The family remains active in the shipping industry to this date. Additionally the company has contributed to the development of its home village of Vrontados and Chios. In general, the family formed the Los Public Benefit Foundation. Which, among other things, included the improvement of the water supply network in Vrontados and is promoting the maritime history of Chios by creating the Chios Maritime Museum (cofounded by the Marouko Pateras Foundation). Michalinos, related by marriage to the Livanos family. The ships are managed through the office of the Livanos brothers based in Piraeus. Niarchos, related by marriage to the Livanos family, and archrival of Onassis who married his sister-in-law. When Stavros Nicarchos died he was considered among the wealthiest men in the world. The family enterprises continue to this day by his children, third wife Eugina Livanou, and his sister’s son Constantine Dracopoulos. Pailos, Diana Shipping Corporation, publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Peraticos, this family entered shipping before World War II. Family members Constis and Nicholas purchased the Elefsina shipyards run by the Greek government in early 1990. The company failed and Costas was murdered in Piraeus in 1997 by members of the 17 November terrorist organization. After that, the family returned to shipping, raising $150 million in capital through high-risk bonds on the American financial market. The company’s fleet is called the Pegasus fleet and is managed by Pleiades shipping agents of Piraeus. The family is involved primarily in Panamax size tankers. Pittas, Oceanbulk Maritime SA. Aristides J. Pittas is the chairman of the board and Aristides P. Pittas is Vice Chairman of the publicly traded company Euroseas Ltd. The following is from the company’s website (Euroseas, 2012):
“In late 1991 two sons of John Pittas, Aristides and Nicos, together with their cousin Aristides (son of Johns brother Pantelis) joined forces with Petros Pappas of Oceanbulk Maritime S.A. and decided to gradually shift the Pittas family interests to Piraeus. This was the beginning of the active involvement of the fourth Pittas generation in shipping. During 1991-1994 Oceanbulk expanded from a fleet of 5 when the Pittas family joined to a maximum of 15 vessels. Aristides and Nikos Pittas separated amicably from Petros Pappas and formed Eurobulk Ltd. Some of these ships are still managed by Oceanbulk.”
Scoufalos, this family is not one of the original Chiot shipping families. Makarios Scoufalos grew up in the United States where his family had immigrated in the late 1930s. He returned to Greece in the 1950s, acquired his first ship in 1958, and set up a company to manage the ships called Union Commercial International Ltd. (which continues to operate today and is directed by his children). Stravelakis, again, this family was not one of the old shipping families of Chios and is an example of a seaman from Kardamyla who went to work for the Lovano’s family and eventually started his own shipping company. His family is still active in shipping, managing ships for others through Prometheus Maritime Corporation. Tsakos, Tsakos Energy Navigation, publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Tsangaris, the family has two sons who work for Carras Ltd. in New York. They have also opened their own shipping agency, Unibro Maritime. The following is from the company’s website (Tsangaris, 2012):
“TSANGARIS BROS LTD. was established in 1989 and commenced business on Piraeus ever since, as a Shipping Company under Greek Law Article 89. The company started its activities with offices on 5 Fillellinon street, and in 1992 relocated its headquarters in owned premises on 46 Filonos street.
Founders of the Company are Nikolaos M. Tsangaris, Captain of the Merchant Marine and the heirs of his late brother George M. Tsangaris. The family’s relations with Shipping historically go back to the late 19th – early 20th century, when the family lived in Kardamyla of Chios and the patriarch of the family, Capt. Michael Tsangaris, operated initially as a Captain and Ship-owner of various sailboats and ships, and later on as Captain in oceangoing vessels, owned by Capt. Michael J. Carras. It was also J. M. Carras company’ s vessels where the two brothers, George and Nikolaos M. Tsangaris, served as Captains. Soon after they both took on Managerial positions, and as company executives acquired the ownership of below vessels, which they also managed. Following the death of Captain George Tsangaris in 1984, the control of the company was undertaken entirely by Nikolaos M. Tsangaris.
Tsangaris Bros LTD. is a company 100% owned by one of the oldest and most traditional ship owning families in Greece dating back to the late 19th – early 20th century. The company’s experience is wide, historically concentrating in specialized markets. In the 50’s and 60’s the company’s main focus was the tanker market, shifting to the dry cargo sector in the 70’s and 80’s and eventually becoming a key player in the “niche Geared Panamax sector. Consistent with the company’s tradition in specialization, Tsangaris Bros has moved into the “Handysize” sector of the dry bulk market, creating a modern unified fleet of the highest standards. The company is always looking to further renew/grow its fleet with modern tonnage, taking advantage of opportunities in the second hand market as well as placing newbuilding orders with prime yards.
In March 2007 Tsangaris Bros Ltd. created a wholly owned subsidiary, Tsangaris Bros Investments S.A. (Hellenic entity), in order to diversify into prime real estate acquisitions, (commercial / residential / development land), to proceed into selective investments in high growth sectors outside shipping and manage the Corporate wealth.”
And finally, for Chios, the Xylas family continues to be active in the shipping industry. To this day, in consortium with other key at families of Andrianopolus and Lentakis, they operate Pegasus Ocean Services Ltd. Photographs of this family and many other active shipping families can be found at the Hellenic Hull Mutual Association website (Hellenic Hull Mutual Association, 2011).
Summary tables are below
For more information on Greek Shipping Families
You can read the thesis I prepared on the Social Networks of the Greek Shipping Families for my Masters Degree in Geography at the University of Utah
This book is an examination of the shipping industry with an emphasis on Greek Islands, Greek Shipping Families and the Greek culture and how it relates to the possibility of social networks leading to a world domination of shipping industry.
Much of this information came from my travels in Greece throughout my 20 years of sailing in the Mediterranean and interviews with family members and Greek Maritime Scholars.
