Laskaridis Maritime's fleet expansion continues with delivery of Kamsarmax newbuildings

On 7 May, China’s Hengli Heavy Industry hosted a triple naming ceremony for 82,000-dwt Kamsarmax bulk carriers being built for the traditional Greek shipowner. According to the shipbuilder, Ithaki I has already been delivered ahead of schedule, while Elatos and Punta del Chileno are expected to join the Laskaridis Maritime fleet in the summer.

The Greek shipping company has 10 Kamsarmax vessels under construction at Hengli, including the trio recently celebrated. Athanasios Laskaridis, founder of Laskaridis Maritime, and his son Odysseas, the company’s chief executive, both attended the ceremony, which was marked as historic by Hengli, as it was the first time the shipyard named three vessels simultaneously.

The Chinese shipyard is expanding rapidly. Established by Hengli Group following its acquisition of the former STX Dalian facility, it has secured an orderbook of approximately 20M dwt in just two years, making it the sixth-largest shipbuilding group globally, according to BRS Shipbrokers’ latest annual review.

Laskaridis’ background

Laskaridis Maritime is the dry bulk arm of Alimia Group, which manages a fleet of 34 vessels, including newbuildings. Of this total, 28 are bulk carriers, and six are tankers. In addition to the 10 Kamsarmaxes at Hengli, Laskaridis Maritime has ordered two more vessels of the same size at the Chinese shipbuilder Penglai Jinglu.

Notably, in 2021, brothers Panos and Athanasios Laskaridis separated their business operations, with Panos taking control of Laskaridis Shipping and Lavinia Corp. That same year, Athanasios Laskaridis established his own shipping ventures.

Beyond shipowning, Alimia Group is also active in ship repair, operating three yards in Spain and Panama, while also engaging in various logistics and infrastructure activities.