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The election of Melina Travlos represents a symbolic evolution of this environment of the Greek merchant navy, historically very masculine. She spoke on Monday with the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
With our correspondent in Athens, Joel Bronner
Along with the tourism sector, the merchant navy is one of the two lungs of the Greek economy. In Greece, shipowners have a fleet of more than 4,000 ships, which allow this small eastern Mediterranean country to regularly obtain the title of world’s leading merchant navy, in terms of transport capacity.
The greek ships particularly focus on transporting oil and bulk products. And in total, regarding 10% of the wealth produced on Greek territory comes from this area of merchant shipping.
Exit from the seraglio
The presidency of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) is therefore a prestigious position. The one who has just seized it, Melina Travlos, comes from the seraglio, she who notably runs Neptune Lines, founded by her father Nikos, in 1975. This maritime transport company specializes in the transport of automobiles in Europe.
Melina Travlos has been a member of this very selective union of shipowners for 15 years. Before her, another woman had succeeded in integrating her: Christina Onassis, the daughter of one of the most famous Greek shipowners. Melina Travlos thus takes over from Theodoros Veniamis, who led the union of Greek shipowners for more than a decade.
