Speaker��Mr. Ward Simon Martin 

Time: 2025/5/28 13:30-15:00  (GMT+8) 中国标准时间 

Abstract: 

This topic is to look at the development of the relationship between Greek shipowners and Chinese shipbuilders from the turn of the 21st century. Drawing on my own professional experience as well as examining the trends of orders placed by Greek shipowners from the late 1990s onwards until the present day, using six distinct periods:

1. 1999 to 2001 �� The beginning of engagement

2. 2001 to 2005 �� Ascension to the WTO and the beginnings of the boom

3. 2005 to 2008 �� Boom times

4. 2008 to 2012 �� Expansion and development after the financial crisis and Chinese fiscal stimulus

5. 2012 to 2017 �� Contraction and regrouping

6. 2017 to the present �� Ascent to the peak of global shipbuilding

By tracking the behaviour of Greek shipowners and their ordering activity in Chinese yards, we will see how the position changed from an initial position of scepticism and reluctance to one of acceptance. The type of Greek shipowners who have ordered in these phases will also be examined, observing a shift from the adventurous to the committed to the business-as-usual mainstream.

Bio:

Mr. Simon Ward is a ship sale and purchase broker. He began his career in shipping in Liverpool and for many years was a shipbroker for HSBC Shipping Services, in London and then in Greece. He is currently Director of Sale and Purchase at URSA Shipbrokers, Piraeus.

Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, where he teaches at the Greek branch; supporting member of the London Maritime Arbitrators Association; Clinical Professor at the Department of Maritime Studies at the University of Piraeus, and guest lecturer at the Athens University of Economics and Business.