Two more Greek shipping legends entered the industry pantheon as the Hall of Fame celebrated the 80th anniversary of the transfer of Liberty Ships to Greek shipowners.
Athens – 27 April 2026: Two more legends of the Greek shipping industry have been inducted into the Greek Shipping Hall of Fame.
Captain Nikolaos Frangos (1926-2016) andKadio Sigala (1882-1967) were unveiled as the latest Inductees into the Hall of Fame in front of more than 580 guests at the Greek Shipping Hall of Fame’s 2026 Induction Ceremony & Dinner.
Captain Frangos had a unique career and came to prominence as co-owner of Good Faith Shipping, which operated more than 200 ships over the course of its lifetime. Sigala was hailed as a dynamic force in shipping either side of the Second World War and she becomes just the second woman inducted into the Hall of Fame, following Athina Martinou (1927-2024) last year. They bring the number of Inductees to 47.
Voting for Inductees takes place annually and is open to members of the Greek Shipping Hall of Fame Academy, currently numbering about 300 prominent individuals in today’s Greek shipping community. The integrity of the on-line voting and the final results are overseen by accounting and consulting firm Moore Greece.
Captain Nikolaos Frangos (1926-2016) was born in 1926 in Kardamyla, on the island of Chios, a community renowned for its maritime tradition. During his career, he earned widespread respect for his unwavering integrity and exceptional ingenuity in overcoming complex technical challenges.
He worked as a ship’s master until the 1950s and he purchased his first vessel at the start of the 1960s. Shortly afterwards, he established a remarkable partnership with shipbroker Nicholas Moundreas. The pair began buying vessels together and in 1965 established Good Faith Shipping which went on to become one of the largest shipping companies in Greece.
Ye Jie, Chief Commercial Officer of Co-Lead Sponsor Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.
By 1990, Good Faith operated a fleet of 52 ships with a combined value of about $1 billion dollars. It included one of the earliest capesize bulk carriers that had sunk on its maiden voyage and was later acquired, refloated, and painstakingly restored to service as part of the Good Faith fleet. An extraordinary ability to rehabilitate vessels written off as beyond repair became one of the company’s hallmarks, reflecting Capt Frangos’s resourcefulness and unique engineering insight.
A devout Orthodox Christian, Capt Frangos supported numerous philanthropic and educational causes, together with his wife, Professor Stella Monoyiou. The couple were proud parents to four children: John, Angeliki, Maria and Katerina, and happy grandparents to seven children. In addition to his maritime achievements, Capt Frangos is remembered for his humility, integrity and generosity of spirit.
Kadio Sigalas (1882-1967)was born Kadio Nomikou into the eponymous shipping and seafaring family on the island of Santorini at a time when women were not expected to pursue careers in business.
As convention demanded, at the age of 15 she married a ship’s captain, George A. Sigalas, whose family had a record of owning sailing vessels in the 19th century. She purchased the first of a series of sailing ships the couple would own with the wedding dowry received from her father.
While Capt Sigalas continued the life of a seafarer as master on board the family ships, Kadio managed the business – from buying and selling of ships, to crewing, finance and accounting. Remarkably, she combined this with running the household, including giving birth 14 times and rearing the seven children who survived to grow up.
During her career, she bought and sold 14 sailing vessels and 25 steamships. She invested not only in cargo ships but also acquired coastal passenger vessels.
Sigala did not hand over management of the business to the next generation until she had already turned 70 and her diary recorded her disappointment that her sons were not investing in shipping. Underlining her passion for the industry, she wrote: “Only what the sea brings you is worthwhile… The only thing we knew was shipping”.
The event paid tribute to the Liberty ships on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the transfer of the first wartime vessels from the American government to Greek ownership. The acquisition of 98 Liberty vessels, beginning in 1946, is widely seen as a key to the recovery and expansion of Greek shipping after the war.
Among the highlights of the evening was the presentation of an original oil painting depicting a Liberty ship to US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle. Hellenic Chamber of Shipping President George Alexandratos made the presentation on behalf of the Greek shipping community.
The Induction Ceremony supported children’s charity Hellenic Hope with a donation. On behalf of the Hall of Fame, George Tsavliris, President of the ‘Hellas Liberty’ Friends of the Liberty Association, presented the cheque to Andreas Bouras, Hellenic Hope’s Chief Executive.
Impressive shipping industry support for the event was led by ABS, IRI/The Marshall Islands Registry and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., the three Co-Lead Sponsors of the Induction Ceremony.
“ABS is proud to support this celebration and to stand alongside the Greek shipping community,” said Joshua Divin, Senior Vice President, Marine Business Development, of ABS. “The individuals in the Hall of Fame exemplify a tradition of leadership and entrepreneurial spirit that has shaped global shipping for generations,” he said.
“Progress is what each of tonight’s honorees has left as their legacy,” said Theofilos Xenakoudis, Chief Commercial Officer, and Managing Director – Piraeus, Greece for IRI/The Marshall Islands Registry. “Their resilience and optimism for the future remind us that even in the most challenging moments we can find opportunities to create lasting change,” he added.
“SWS is proud to continue its support for the Greek Shipping Hall of Fame as a Lead Sponsor of this unique event,” said Ye Jie, SWS’s Chief Commercial Officer. “I firmly believe that our cooperation with the Greek shipping community will always move forward with resilience and strength, no matter how the market changes,” he said.
Three of Greece’s largest shipping groups continued their kind support for the event: TMS Group was the event’s welcome drinks sponsor; Navios Maritime Partners sponsored the dinner. A taste of Chios island was again provided by The Tsakos Group as after-dinner digestifs sponsor.
Ascenz Marorka, Citi Private Bank, Kpler, Moore Greece, OceanScore, Optima Shipping Services, PPG and Seajets, supported the event as Premium Sponsors.
The Greek Shipping Hall of Fame also expressed gratitude to Bank Julius Baer for enhancing its support for Hellenic Hope.
Further kind sponsorship support came from Allied Shipbroking, Anglo-Eastern, Antipollution, Chevron Marine Lubricants, China Classification Society, ClassNK
CMB Financial Leasing, Columbia Group, Gravity Private Wealth, Hempel, Korean Register, Kyvernitis Travel Group, Lloyd’s Register, Marichem Marigases, Marine Tours, Monjasa, RINA, San Marino Ship Register, UK Defence Club, UK P&I Club, Veson Nautical and Wilhelmsen Ships Service.
The Greek Shipping Hall of Fame resides at www.greekshippinghalloffame.org
Sponsorship Enquires: caroline@phoebe-events.com
General Enquires: administration@greekshippinghalloffame.org
