A historic day for Greek shipping and the capital market was marked by the commencement of trading of the shares of Safe Bulkers Inc., on the Athens Stock Exchange, becoming the first shipping company to be listed on the Greek market.
The company, which has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) since 2008, has a fleet of 45 dry bulk carriers and a program of 11 newly built environmentally advanced vessels, including methanol dual-fuel plants, initiated parallel trading of its shares on Euronext Athens.
The event was attended by representatives of the government, the shipping community and the capital market, including the Minister of National Economy and Finance, Mr. Kostis Hatzidakis, the CEO, CEO of Safe Bulkers, Mr. Polys V. Hadjioannou, Ms. Marina Hadjimanolis, Deputy Minister of Shipping of the Republic of Cyprus, the CEO of the Athens Exchange Group, Mr. Yiannos Kontopoulos, and the President of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission, Vasiliki Lazarakou.
Mr. Hatzidakis described the day as particularly important for both the Greek economy and shipping, stressing that the introduction of Safe Bulkers inaugurates a new era in shipping relations with the Athens Stock Exchange and expressing the belief that other shipping companies will follow the same step.
For his part, Mr. Hadjioannou, confirming the commitment of Safe Bulkers Inc. to the development, transparency and further strengthening of its presence in the Greek and international shipping market, stated: "This is an important milestone for Safe Bulkers, for the shipping community in general and for Athens, as it evolves into an increasingly important international financial and shipping center. Our company has the opportunity to gain access to a broad base of European institutional investors, contributing to the transformation of Athens into a leading international hub for shipping finance within the Euronext platform."
Warm congratulations to all those who contributed to this important development for shipping and the Greek capital market as this move strengthens Safe Bulkers Inc.'s access to European capital markets and both broadens its investor base, while at the same time it is a vote of confidence in the prospects of the Greek and European capital market.
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