Greek shipowners proceeded with 47 new ship orders in Asian berths in the first 31 days of the year. It is noted that during the same period in 2025, Greek orders were only eight.
A further wave of new orders within the year should not be ruled out, while Greek-owned companies now maintain an orderbook of over 750 ships.
According to an analysis by Intermodal Shipbrokers for “N”, the intense activity of Greek shipowners in newbuilding orders during the last quarter of 2025 and January 2026 is not simply a continuation of an upward trend, but reflects a clear and conscious strategic repositioning.
Yannis Parganas, director of Intermodal’s Research Department, pointed out that, while interest in bulk carriers had strengthened significantly towards the last quarter of 2025, the beginning of 2026 marks a clear shift towards tankers and in particular towards crude tankers, with Greek shipowners clearly “voting”” this sector as the most attractive in risk-reward terms.
The picture in the dry cargo sector is indicative. The only new order concerns two Kamsarmax from Safe Bulkers, which underlines the wait-and-see attitude that Greek shipowners are maintaining in bulk carriers, considering that the current supply-demand balance and the increased cost of newbuildings do not justify aggressive investments, Parganas explained to “N”.
On the contrary, investment interest has shifted almost entirely to crude oil tankers.
In this sector, the orders are impressive in both number and size.
Dynacom, owned by George Prokopiou, clearly leads the market, with 16 VLCCs of 306,000 dwt capacity and an additional LR2, while Cape Shipping of the Andrianopoulos family has ordered a 319,000 dwt VLCC.
Lavinia Tankers, owned by Panos Laskaridis, Stealth Maritime, owned by Haris Vafias, JHI Steamship, owned by Yiannis Inglessis, and New Shipping, owned by Adamantios Polemis, have positioned themselves dynamically in the Suezmax, with a total of seven new orders.
Stealth Maritime is also further strengthening its presence in the product tanker sector with a new deal for two LR2s.
The concentration of orders in specific names confirms that this market remains a privilege of shipowners with a strong capital base and high risk tolerance, Parganas said and added: “This aggressive positioning in crude tankers is not accidental. It reflects the assessment that the market is in a sustainable growth phase.” In the remaining sectors, orders appear more selective.
Costamare, owned by Kostis Konstantopoulos, stands out with the order for 12 containerships of 9,200 TEUs, costing approximately 105 million dollars per ship. However, this specific investment is accompanied by a long-term time charter contract with Cosco Shipping, significantly limiting exposure to the market cycle.
In the gas carrier sector, Alpha Gas Carriers, owned by Anna Angelicoussis, and TMS Cardiff Gas, owned by George Economou, have ordered a total of two and four LNG carriers of 174,000 cbm, respectively, confirming that investments in LNG remain targeted and based on projects with specific commercial coverage.
Under these circumstances, Parganas did not rule out a wave of new orders in 2026 from shipowners with a strong capital base and the ability to finance high-cost investments, aiming at expanding their fleets or renewing them, in the context of a tanker market that appears to be maintaining its momentum.
Source: Naftemporiki