Manios and Pnevmatikos inducted into Greek Shipping Hall of Fame

Athens – 24 April 2024

Two shipowners who were among the most prominent of their different generations have been inducted into the Greek Shipping Hall of Fame.

Dimitris Manios (1952-1995) and Michael J. Pnevmatikos (1883-1969) were inducted in front of 560 shipping industry guests at the annual Induction Ceremony & Dinner held at Megaron, the Athens Concert Hall on the evening of 22 April. They bring the Hall of Fame’s pantheon of great individuals from the history of Greek merchant shipping since the steam age to 43.

Voting for Inductees takes place annually and is open to members of the Greek Shipping Hall of Fame Academy, currently numbering about 300 prominent individuals in today’s Greek shipping community. The integrity of the on-line voting and the final results are overseen by accounting and consulting firm Moore Greece.

Dimitris Manios made his first capital in the 1970s from selling fuel to yachting and shipping clients. His best-known company, Transman Shipping Enterprises, was set up together with brother Vassilios, at the end of the crisis of the 1980s, enabling him to acquire vessels at low prices and sell off some of them for four or five times as much when the market recovered.

The immediate success of Transman allowed him to expand and diversify the fleet with acquisitions of general cargo, refrigerated vessels and containerships in addition to bulk carriers. With friend and partner Lou Kollakis, Manios moved into tankers and the pair also acquired a historic UK shipbuilder, the Pallion Shipyard in Sunderland.

The untimely death of Dimitris Manios at age 43 robbed Greek shipping of a charismatic and popular young tycoon who had begun to attract comparisons with the prototype of the ‘Golden Greek’ shipowner, Onassis.

Michael J. Pnevmatikos was a key figure in the emergence of shipping from the islands of Kassos and Syros during the steamship era, as well as a key contributor in efforts to rebuild Greek shipping after the Second World War.

His father teamed up with a brother-in-law, Basil Nicholas Rethymnis, and the two families bought their first steamship, but at the outset of his career Pnevmatikos based himself in Constantinople where he helped to run an oil-shipping business for a close friend, Leonidas Arvanitidi, leading it to acquire its own fleet.

The company’s success was interrupted by the Asia Minor catastrophe of 1922, forcing Pnevmatikos to return to Greece. By now he had become a founding shareholder in Rethymnis & Kulukundis, the pivotal Greek shipping agency in London. Based in Syros, he and his partners formed Kassos Steam Navigation that went on to order new ships in the UK, including the first diesel motorship under Greek flag.

Besides his own business exploits, Pnevmatikos was widely respected among his compatriot owners and was twice elected President of the Union of Greek Shipowners. He was legendary for his great memory and encyclopedic knowledge of ships.

The Induction Ceremony & Dinner supported children’s charity Hellenic Hope with a donation.  Vivi Kolliopoulou, President of WISTA Hellas, presented this on behalf of the Greek Shipping Hall of Fame to Andreas Bouras, Chief Executive Officer of Hellenic Hope.

Impressive shipping industry support for the event was led by ABS, IRI/The Marshall Islands Registry and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., the three Co-Lead Sponsors of the Induction Ceremony.

According to Ezekiel Davis, Vice President, Regional Business Development Europe at ABS, “In a world where challenges abound, Greek shipping stands as a testament to resilience and adaptability. It is through the collective efforts of industry pioneers, innovators, and visionaries that we can today navigate these waters with confidence.

“The Honorees tonight exemplify the very best of our industry, inspiring us all to reach greater heights and chart new courses,” said Mr Davis.

Theofilos Xenakoudis, Chief Commercial Officer, and Managing Director – Piraeus, Greece for IRI/The Marshall Islands Registry, underlined the importance of quality in shipping and he noted that nearly one-third of the Marshall Islands fleet is Greek-owned.

“Tonight, we recognise individuals who have played a key role in advancing our community and their vision inspires us all to focus on what is important to lead our industry towards the future,” said Mr Xenakoudis.

Zhang Qipeng, Vice President of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (SWS) said: “SWS is proud to continue to sponsor this unique event and pay our respects to some of Greek shipping’s legends.  The courage and vision of these pioneers has shaped this unique and remarkable industry.

“The spirit of the Inductees is in unison with our own mission and vision at SWS, to embrace the ocean in order to create values for a better life and brighter future,” said Mr Zhang.

Three of Greece’s largest shipping groups continued their kind support for the event: TMS Group was the event’s welcome drinks sponsor; Navios Group sponsored the dinner.  A taste of Chios island was once again provided by The Tsakos Group as after-dinner digestifs sponsor.

Ascenz Marorka, Citi Private Bank, Moore Greece, Optima Shipping Services, PPG and Seajets supported the event as Premium Sponsors.

The Greek Shipping Hall of Fame also expressed gratitude to Bank Julius Baer for enhancing its support for Hellenic Hope.

Further kind sponsorship support came from Cass Technava, Cayman Registry, China Classification Society, ClassNK, Columbia Shipmanagement, Franman, Isle of Man Ship Registry, Kyvernitis Travel, Lloyd’s Register, Marichem-Marigases, Marine Support, Marine Tours, Monjasa, Spheric Capital, Swift Marine and Timagenis Law Firm.

In addition to celebrating the Greek shipping industry and paying tribute to some of its greatest personalities, the Greek Shipping Hall of Fame event also marked the bicentenary of the death of Lord Byron in April 1824, focusing on the famous poet’s commitment to Greece’s freedom and his love of the sea.

On the occasion of the bicentenary, the Greek Shipping Hall of Fame presented the original oil painting ‘The Byron Collection’, to the British Embassy in Athens. The painting was accepted by British Ambassador Matthew Lodge. ‘The Byron Collection’ was painted by William Clayton in 1974 to mark the 150th anniversary of Byron’s death.

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