In full progress lies a new investment wave in the international tanker market, with Greek shipowners holding a dominant position both in the management of the largest fleet worldwide and in ship purchases and new shipbuilding.
Veson Nautical and VesselsValue platform clearly reflect the strategy pursued by Greek shipping companies: sales of older ships in historically high valuations and at the same time dynamic investments in modern high-standard ships.
The conjuncture is considered particularly favourable to shipowners, as the values of tankers remain at high levels, recalling in several cases the period of the great maritime "supercycle" of 2008. The strong market yields, the increased demand for oil and energy products, but also the geopolitical redeployments that have changed trade routes, strengthen valuations and create new investment margins.
According to Veson Nautical data, Greece currently has the most valuable active tanker fleet in the world, with a total value of $66.38 billion. The difference from the second China is impressive, as the Chinese fleet is valued at $39.6 billion. Here are Japan with $24.52 billion, Singapore with $20.26 billion, and South Korea with $16.24 billion.
At the same time, Greek shipowners are among the most active tanker sellers internationally in 2026. At the top of Greek sales is Evalend Shipping (Kriton Ledoudis) with transactions worth $451.5 million, followed by Top Ships (Evangelos Pistiolis) with $413.7 million, Atlas Maritime (Leon Patitsas) with $303.4 million, Tsakos Energy Navigation (Tsakos family) with 227.3 million and Dynacom Tankers (George Prokopiou) with $213.1 million.
However, Greek shipping is not limited to liquidations. On the contrary, sales of older ships seem to fund a new generation of investments. Greek shipowners have already repositioned over $1 billion in the market for second-hand and new-born tankers. First to buyers appears Minerva Marine (Andreas Martinos) with $312.2 million investments, followed by Thenamaris (Nikolaos Martinos), Okeanis Eco Tankers (Yannis Alafuzos), Spring Marine Management and Silk Searoad Maritime (Panagiotis Zandetatos).
Even more impressive is the image on the front of new orders. Greece has the largest tanker order book worldwide, with a total value of $39.89 billion — more than four times higher than China following with $6.52 billion. Dynacom Tankers (George Prokopiou) leads the international list of orders with 36 ships under construction of a total value of $3.8 billion, while among the top companies are also Greek Venergy Maritime (Victoras Restis) and Capital Ship Management (Vangelis Marinakis).
The data also show that VLCC orders dominate the market in 2026, with 139 new ships, confirming that the market expects a continuation of strong demand for large crude oil shipping. Below are Suezmax with 100 orders and Aframax with 46.
This image confirms that Greek shipping not only retains its dominance in the international tanker market, but attempts to "build" the fleet of the next decade, investing in more modern and efficient ships, in a period of increased environmental requirements and geopolitical redeployments.
