Even more secretive is the way he 'Hid' his ships.....
If you look up TROODOS Shipping Co Ltd in Lloyds Shipowners and Managers for 1976 you will find they only Owned one ship, the ACACEA 64/1199. Even more interesting is the address, c/o J Matthews Shipping Company, Holywell, Flintshire & 8A Georghiou, Gennadiou Street, Limassol, Cyprus.
If you delve a bit further and look in Lloyds Confidential Index for November 1976 you find TROODOS SHIPPING & TRADING Ltd. 10th Floor, Stock Exchange Tower, Old Broad Street. London. Owner Loucas Hajioannou.
Nine Ships are listed and each one is under a separate Company.
i.e. CLEO Tanker ex Yuyo Maru No 8. Built 1959 and acquired 1973. Owner Clerco Cia. Nav. SA Panama. (Under Greek Flag.)
and NEDI, Tanker ex British Honour, Built 1958 and aquired 1973. Owner Gantline Cia. Nav., SA. Panama. (Under Greek Flag.)
Out of interest the other ships are DODONE 1954, Acq 1970, MONTAZA 1958, Acq 1976, PANOCEANIC FAME 1964 Acq 1976,
KLELIA 1963. Acq 1975, MARITSA III 1965, Acq 1973, SAVVAS 1959, Acq 1974 and PELOPIDAS 1957, Acq 1973.
If we look up the ACACEA we find she is Owned by a Single Ship Company called TROODOS SHIPPING CO Ltd, but Operated by Norinvest, A/S of Oslo and Managed by Otto A Muller. So I think we can assume this Company has nothing to do with the one we are looking at.
Two Associated Companies are listed under Troodos Shipping and Trading, ALASSIA SS Co Ltd and ELPIDON (Overseas ) Ltd.
ELPIDON (OVERSEAS) LTD, Trident House, 55-56 Aldgate High Street, London. Owner M Hajioannou. Two Ships are shown listed under separate Companies, PANAGHIA TINOU 1952, Aqd 1972 and Owned by Grace Transport Co, Panama and YPERAGIA 1948, Aqd 1972 and Owned by Hill Court Shipping Co., SA, Panama.
The ALASSIA Steamship Co Ltd of 6 Lloyds Avenue. London had Five ships, again under single ship companies and was Owned by Vassos Hajioannou.
ELLI 2 1952 Acq 1972, TOULLA 1953 Acq 1972, ELENI 2 1957 Acq 1972, KANARIS 1952 Acq 1972 and STALO 2 1968 Acq 1973.
The first four were ex KING, ALEXANDER, ARTHUR, GEORGE and MALCOLM, whilst the Stalo 2 was originally the ATHOS.
All the ships, he and his associates owned were bought on the second hand Market.
So I wnder how many other Companies were involved??????????
I would hate to do a Fleetlist,
Paul Hood. + WSS Tyneside Branch Hon Sec.