Architects of Wealth

For many the legendary names Niarchos, Onassis, Ludwig, Pao, Bergesen and Moeller are synonymous with the great golden days of shipping in the early 70s, when mere voyages were all it took to repay a new building loan. When a shipowner married a former president’s widow, and a single shipping company could be an entire Nation’s pride and joy. Giant corporations such as IBM sought the great men out to sit on their boards. Yes, those were heady days and history clearly treats the men at the helm as giants. For a generation of ship owners who steered the industry through the shoals of the late 70s and most of the 80s only to enjoy some modest fortune as the Asian economies began to grow and influence trade, images of Maria Callas and Jackie O provided a glamorous backdrop reminder of how good shipping might be compared to their decades of really hard work.

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