Greece continues to hold the “lead” in international shipping, remaining in first place worldwide in terms of fleet size and more specifically deadweight tonnage (dwt).
According to the UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport report, although the Greek-owned fleet comes second in the world in number of ships (5,124 – as of January 2025), in terms of tonnage it surpassed the fleets of China and Japan, which follow in second and third place respectively.
This picture confirms the strategic role of Greek shipping in the global transport chain, as Greek shipowners continue to systematically invest in modern and energy-efficient ships, strengthening their competitiveness, in a period of intense geopolitical and economic uncertainty. UNCTAD recorded that the total tonnage of the Greek-owned fleet amounts to 397.6 million dwt (16.4% of global tonnage), far behind the second largest fleet, China (347.2 million dwt), and the third largest fleet of Japan (240.6 million dwt).
Compared to the previous year, the data showed that Greece maintained its lead, keeping its distance from its main competitors.
This is due both to strategic orders for new ships and to the continuous replacement of older units with more efficient and “green” ships.
The top ten, after China and Japan, are followed by countries such as Singapore (153.4 million dwt), Hong Kong (139.5 million dwt), South Korea (98.5 million dwt) and Germany (71.5 million dwt), while there is a rise in the United Arab Emirates (57.4 million dwt), which is attempting to establish itself as a shipping hub in the Middle East.
By 1 January 2025, the global fleet numbered 112,500 ships, with a total carrying capacity of 2.44 billion dwt, up 3.4% compared to the previous year.
UNCTAD data also showed that 8% of the fleet already in operation and 53% of the fleet under construction are powered by alternative fuels, an element that shows the gradual transition towards a greener shipping.
