BRITANNIA GROUP
Established in 1855, The Britannia Group provides P&I and FD&D cover to shipowners and charterers worldwide. Britannia P&I Club was the first P&I Club and remains a leader in the International Group of P&I Clubs. It has held a prominent position by focusing on providing an exceptional standard of service for its Members worldwide, based on the essential values and principles of mutuality combined with commercial strength. Alpha Gas have been a valued and esteemed Member of Britannia P&I Club for several years and the Club looks forward to continuing to develop this relationship.
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True to its ethos, the group currently has an exciting new building programme underway, with four dual fuel VLGC/VLAC carriers on order and two LNG carriers already delivered in the first quarter of 2024. In addition, four product tankers and two ultramax bulk carriers, currently on order in China, are scheduled for delivery in 2025 or early 2026.
The group employs approximately 230 shore-side personnel and around
3,000 seafarers, so its reach is significant. Headquarters are in Athens, alongside three affiliated offices worldwide – including ones in London, Singapore and Manila – under the control of the Kanellakis family.
Building the best
With a first-class fleet built in the world’s best shipyards, the Alpha Gas, Pantheon Tankers and Alpha Bulkers group of companies is focused on retaining ships for the majority of their lifetime. In other words, the group does not view maritime assets as a mere trading commodity:
“We usually keep our vessels to operate ourselves, and we usually do not sell until they reach three quarters of their lifetime,” Mr Kanellakis explained. “That is one of many aspects that differentiate us from some organisations. We like to build our vessels; a big portion of our fleet was constructed directly through our organisation. This
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means we ordered the ships and negotiated the specifications with the shipyards. Of course, we also have second-hand ships, but the majority are newbuilds.”
Indeed, the group has a long history of notable projects, including the construction of a series of tankers in HHI Korea in 2009 and 2017, eight Capesize vessels at SWS China between 2008 and 2012, a series of product tankers built at STX Korea in 2019, a large project consisting of four LNG carriers and two VLCCs built at DSME in South Korea between 2019 and 2021.
“2021 and 2022 were busy years for us as we took delivery of a further seven tankers and two bulker vessels built in SWS and NTS in China and Samsung in Korea. We worked on two additional projects; the acquisition of eight second-hand product tankers that were controlled by oil major BP and that of three LNG resale vessels that were under construction at Hyundai
Samho,” Mr Kanellakis added. This included five 40,000 DWT handysizes and three 50,000 DWT medium range tankers, reported by brokers to have fetched an en bloc price of $230m.
The power of partnership
In June 2024, Alpha Gas, Pantheon Tankers and Alpha Bulkers, along with most of the rest of the shipping industry, will be at the Posidonia tradeshow in Athens.
“We are looking forward to meeting the stakeholders we work with,” said Mr Kanellakis. “This includes various suppliers, charterers, shipyards, classification societies, banks, ship brokers – basically all the people we interact with on a regular basis. We don't have a stand at the Posidonia exhibition; usually ship operators and ship owners don't, but we still meet with various partners and friends. It is the ultimate networking event for us.
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SEACHEF HOSPITALITY
Seachef Hospitality Services has pioneered integrated hospitality management for the maritime industry since 1994, supplying ship owners and managers with comprehensive services along the entire value chain. At Seachef, we balance crew welfare and cost efficiency, while prioritising seafarers’ wellbeing. We cater to the taste and dietary needs of more than 40 nationalities on board over 500 vessels.
Our coordinated services include catering and housekeeping management, procurement, and supply chain management, plus recruitment and training of galley staff. Through streamlined workflows and transparent accounting, Seachef offers nutritious, palatable meals in a hospitable, hygienic environment for crews, whilst remaining cost competitive.
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“The benefit of such events is we can enhance our relationships with various players in the industry, and of course, promote our company.”
Indeed, the group already enjoys strong relationships with its core suppliers and has maintained many of the same partnerships for decades. “We have not felt the need to change on most occasions, but there is always someone new that emerges,” said Mr Kanellakis. “And I think our suppliers have helped us to grow and played a key role in our suc cess and reputation. In their vast majority they have been very reliable and that has helped us to be so
too, when it comes to maintaining ships, operating them and ensuring they have little or no downtime and safe operation.”
Indeed, strong relationships have been more important than ever in the last few years, with turbulence in the markets, delays in logistical chains and long lead times for spare parts. During this period, the strong relationship the group has built with shipyards has also paid off, and it has enjoyed prioritised client status.
The fleet of the future
Looking ahead, it is no surprise to learn that Alpha Gas, Pantheon Tankers and Alpha Bulkers are set to continue to grow their
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individual fleets. The intention is, eventually, to replace the older vessels with more efficient, environmentally friendly ones.
“We are looking at new technologies and new fuels too,” said Mr Kanellakis. “This is a work-in-progress for us. We're exploring the possibilities of dual fuel ships; mostly LNG, but also methanol and ammonia, but I would say LNG is more realistic right now.”
Though the environmental and geo-political challenges are plentiful, Mr Kanellakis identified the human element as the most significant obstacle facing the shipping industry today.
“Finding the right seafarers, and also training and educating them, is a very big challenge,” he said. “We are about to open a training centre in Athens. We’ve felt the need to do that, because we believe strongly in the importance of improving on training and education in the sector.”
Mr Kanellakis continues to be inspired by working in such a complex and constantly
evolving industry as shipping. Not despite, but because of, the many challenges.
“The market sentiment can change quickly in shipping and volatility is a key theme these days, but that is one of the aspects that makes shipping interesting,” he concluded. “It means that ship owners and operators need to be able to adapt very fast to a changing environment. Recently, we have seen lots of changes in trading patterns –mainly due to geo-political factors – and I believe we will continue to see changes in the future, some more unpredictable than others. But I think that working out how to respond to them is what excites me most about my job.” n
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