The number of vessels in the Greek merchant fleet increased in March 2026, while total gross tonnage declined compared to the same month last year, according to the latest data released by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
The strength of the Greek merchant fleet, referring to vessels of 100 gross registered tons (GRT) and above, increased by 1.6% in March 2026 compared with March 2025, reaching 1,862 vessels from 1,833 a year earlier. The annual increase recorded in March 2025 compared with March 2024 was 0.8%.
At the same time, total gross tonnage of the fleet declined by 1.7% year-on-year to 34.73 million GRT from 35.34 million GRT in March 2025.
By vessel category, cargo vessels declined by 0.3% to 350 ships, while tanker numbers fell by 0.5% to 405 vessels. Passenger vessels recorded growth of 3.3%, reaching 821 ships, while other vessel categories increased by 2.1% to 286 ships.
Regarding tonnage, cargo vessel capacity declined by 2.9% to 9.16 million GRT, tanker tonnage decreased by 1.4% to 24.22 million GRT, and passenger vessel tonnage edged down by 0.6% to 1.20 million GRT. Other vessel categories recorded a 2.4% increase in tonnage to 146,212 GRT.
Looking at fleet age groups, vessels aged up to five years increased by 11.6% year-on-year to 135 ships. The 25–30 years category also expanded by 12.9% to 140 vessels. Ships older than 30 years remained the largest age category, increasing by 0.9% to 874 vessels.
By gross tonnage category, vessels between 100–500 GRT increased by 3.2% to 936 ships, while the number of vessels in the 500–3,000 GRT category rose by 1.1% to 355 ships.
The 20,000–30,000 GRT bracket recorded the sharpest decline among tonnage categories, with vessel numbers falling 9.4% year-on-year to 48 ships. Meanwhile, vessels above 30,000 GRT decreased slightly by 0.5% to 370 ships.
The latest figures show continued growth in vessel numbers, while total fleet gross tonnage and several larger vessel categories recorded declines.
