The Egyptian attacker killed shipowner Maria Karnesi, the CEO of the shipping company and a captain in Glyfada

She is the most powerful Greek shipowner, giving, along with Chios-born Angeliki Frangou, a strong scent of women in Greek shipping, which is traditionally dominated by men. The two "skippers" are in the top two positions of the leading shipping power in the world, leaving behind their male competitors. In 2022 she was 10th place on the Top 100 of Lloyd's List of 100 personalities who play an important role in world shipping.

It was recently announced that according to the Forbes list, her name tops the list of Greeks. She is ranked 455th among the world's wealthiest persons with a personal fortune estimated at $5.6 billion, which of course includes the value of 158 ships in her shipping group, which has increased with the rise in freight rates seen during the coronavirus pandemic. A few weeks earlier she was named by Bloomberg as the richest "figure" in the shipping industry.

40-year-old Maria Angelikousi, two years after the death of her late father, Ioannis Angelikousis, on April 10, 2021, proves that although she studied and practiced as a doctor in Great Britain until 2008 and without pay in Africa, she has shipping in her DNA.

The desire of Yiannis Angelikousis that she take over the group had become clear when he himself in 2018 used the name Maran in three separate branches of the group, Maran Tankers, Maran Gas (LNG carriers) and Maran Dry (dry caargo). With the death of her father, there were many who indirectly questioned whether her ability to shoulder the burden of both the group, which at the time was approaching 150 ships, and the heavy family name.

During these two years, Maria Angelicoussis, managing director of the Angelicoussis Group, framed by top executives she chose, leads the group steadily in a highly competitive industry. Her public appearances are rare and mostly in maritime forums abroad. In one of these forums, at the end of 2021, she had sent her message in all directions: “I am here and I will remain here. I think I've cleared that up," to add: "After my father's death I felt it was important to have a period of stability in the company."

Speaking about her father she said: “From the first days of my presence in the group, my father provided me with autonomy and independence. This allowed me to grow quickly in terms of knowledge and confidence and also to gain a passion for shipping." "My father used to tell me: 'Don't worry if you make mistakes, learn from them.' The door of my office was always open to listen attentively to his colleagues," she added.

What she has in common with her father, as people in shipping circles point out, is insight and stubbornness. Asked if she has a favorite industry in shipping in terms of ship types, she noted: “I don't have a favorite. I started with tankers and so that was the industry I was most familiar with at first. However, all branches have their pros and cons. I believe that diversification has helped us succeed. In 10 years, I think that our fleet will be completely different than today".

In July 2022, at the event for the induction of Ioannis Angelikoussis into the pantheon of Greek shipping, the Greek Shipping Hall of Fame, she had said, among other things: "He was very good at understanding people and having relationships. He often said: “I'm just the conductor of a very good orchestra” – and he really believed it. This company is made up of its people, especially the people on the ships, and people in the office – and he was there just to bring those pieces together."

Today the group operates a fleet of a total of 141 vessels , with a total carrying capacity of 23.5 million dwt and 9.4 million cubic meters, plus the 17 under construction, a total of 158 vessels, barges, tankers, LNG carriers under three companies: Maran Dry, Maran Tankers and Maran Gas.

Greek flag

Continuing the family tradition, Maria Angelikoussis is a pioneer in supporting both maritime education and the Greek Shipping Registry.

Of the 141 ships, 124 are registered in the Greek Registry, a percentage of 87.9%! Also, all 17 ships under construction are under the Greek flag. The Aggelikousi group annually absorbs more than 300 young Greek cadet sailors, a sign of the group's faith and commitment to the Greek merchant marine. The total number of Greek naval officers currently available to the group, both at sea and on land, amounts to more than 1,200, which places it at the top of the companies regarding the recruitment of Greek merchant marine officers. According to the management, in the coming years the group will have an pressing need to hire even more sailors.

Education, quality and safety

In addition, the two central values that characterize, among others, the operations of the Angelikousi group are quality and safety. In this context, it takes important initiatives focused on training so that the sailors who man its ships can continuously develop. The tip of the spear in this project is the in-house training. The Angelikousi group maintains a Seafarer Training Center, the Delphic Maritime Training Centre, which is equipped with modern technologies, such as simulators, and aims to continuously train and improve its seafarers, but also to maintain the group's competitiveness in the international maritime markets .

Record breaking

Meanwhile, the group's ships are breaking records sailing around the world. Another record was broken by "Maran Lupus", managed by Maran Tankers. It is now the largest ship to enter the UK's Humber River. At 333 meters long, it moored at the end of February at the Immingham Oil Terminal supported by five tugs. Immingham is an anchorage, but not for vessels of this size. Only 4% of the ships that pass through the point are oil tankers.

Also, in 2023 the group's cargo ship "Maran Astronomer" broke the record of soybean loading in a Brazilian port. In particular, it loaded 107,717 tons of soybeans with destination ports in the Netherlands and Poland. The loading process started on February 6th and ended on the 12th, with the cargo being collected from five different terminals: Cargill, Coamo I, Coamo II, Cotriguaçu and Public Silos. The previous record at the same port was again held by the 'Maran Astronomer' three months before, when the Maran Dry vessel loaded 103,340 tonnes of soybeans.

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