Author Description

The Greek ship-operating industry has been at the top of the world fleet for the last twenty years, a period which has witnessed the final collapse of the great maritime powers of the past. Gelina Harlaftis' comprehensive study provides insight into the successful course of the Greek maritime industry through the past two centuries. A History of Greek-Owned Shipping overturns the perception that the success of the industry was simply due to a handful of entrepreneurs in the 1940s using flags of convenience. The excellence of the Greek tramp fleet has its foundation in networks and organisational structures which were already in place in the nineteenth century. These networks, the access to world markets, the cargoes carried, the routes followed and the interests served are fully analysed in this survey. Gelina Harlaftis establishes the main trends in the development of the fleet; she raises important questions about the success of the Greek merchant marine.