Small shipping firms fight for market share

Large passenger shipping companies no longer dominate the Greek market. According to a study by XRTC Business Consultants, the big players, Attica Group (which operates Blue Star, Super Fast and Hellenic Seaways), ANEK and Minoan Lines, accounted for 38 percent of sea passenger traffic in 2018, down from 57 percent in 2014.

The remaining 62 percent share is divided among 20 smaller operators which operate 58 ships, 21 of them high-speed vessels.

Most of them are local operators, but one, Seajets, is large enough to be ready to join the big operators’ club. Its 17 ships, including 15 high-speed vessels, with a total capacity of 8,500 passengers and 1,450 vehicles, serve 26 Aegean islands from Piraeus, Rafina, Thessaloniki and Crete.

Seajets employs 800 people. Four other growing firms are Golden Star Ferries, Fast Ferries, Zante Ferries and Dodekanisos Seaways.