Sea Pioneer is a Greek shipping company which supports its clients with professionally-operated bulkers and a superior tanker fleet, allowing for the safe, cost-effective and efficient transportation of cargo. Now, the company, is growing more than ever before. Leon Kallergis, Technical Manager, explained the details to Hannah Barnett.
The wider expansion process of the Sea Pioneer fleet began in 2022, when the company received three Kamsarmax carriers, and continued with the recent receipt of two newbuild MR Tankers from the Desan shipyard in Korea.
“The newbuilding projects are taking up a lot of our attention,” said Technical Manager Leon Kallergis. “It’s a big job. There is much to
be arranged and organised. A project on this scale would be a challenge for any company.
“From the initial plan and approval, to liaising with the site team that will monitor the vessels during the building stage, and so on. There is a lot of communication with the yard, working out how new technologies can be implemented on these vessels We must be careful to choose the right people, ones we trust.”
Sea Pioneer has made a large investment with an order of three new bulk carriers from the Oshema shipyard in Japan and four further MR tankers from KSC Shipyard in Korea. By February 2026, the fleet will consist of 18 ships. At the same time, the company is also regularly selling off older vessels, with two MR tankers and one Panamax Bulk carrier recently sold. The goal is to grow the fleet to 20 vessels.
“We try to sell ships which are a little bit older, in order to renew the fleet,” said
Mr Kallergis. “The target is, to reach 10 bulk carriers and 10 MR tankers by the end of 2026. Ultimately, we are an MR Tanker-oriented company, and we want to focus on trading this size of chemical tankers.”
Making moves
In order to incorporate its fleet expansion, Sea Pioneer must change several things about how it operates.
“18 ships are a large increase on a few years ago,” said Mr Kallergis. “As the vessels are increasing, so too are the employee
numbers. We now have dedicated personnel for environmental monitoring and collecting data. We were doing this before, but not in
such a detailed way and now we are setting targets alongside that data.”
Over the last six months, Sea Pioneer has also begun to digitalise all the data it collects from vessels and operations, both at sea and on shore. The company is in the process of installing new hardware
and software to accommodate all this change and growth.
“Before the delivery of the new vessels, we are trying to establish a really robust ERP solution,” Mr Kallergis explained. “This means connecting all operations on one platform for all of us to work together more smoothly and to minimise all the internal information coming and going. We hope this will mean each department will be fully updated about what is happening on each vessel.”
Sustainable options
In the rapidly changing world of shipping, any shipbuilder or broker needs to consider the environmental impact of a vessel.
As a result, Sea Pioneer’s new tankers are scrubber-ready, with the capacity to use them in the future.
“We are not installing scrubbers at this stage, because the consumption of these MR tankers is not that big,” Mr K explained. “Our vessel consumption is around 22 tonnes per day, compared with a VLCC vessel, which is around 60. It’s a huge difference.”
Similarly, the new MR Tankers are dual-fuel ready for the use of methanol and ammonia. As a relatively new innovation, the alternative fuel will be largely dependent on supply chain availability.
“The plan is to change to dual fuel, when bunker stations start selling it more widely,” said Mr Kallergis. “However, the main engine and generators will be already modified to burn this kind of fuel.”
The other important environmental modification in the new vessels will be seen from the hull-optimisation in the shipyard design. The hulls on the newbuilds are more
slender and therefore more efficient, more economical and less water-resistant.
“The other important thing to consider is the training of the crew,” Mr Kallergis added, “We are installing all these new
upgrades, but at the same time, the crew must know how to operate them efficiently; that is another challenge.”
Forging relationships
Any company going through so much growth and change, must be confident of a strong relationship with its suppliers. Sea Pioneer is no different and open communication is key.
“If we are transparent and clear with a supplier, then we see they also treat us the same way,” said Mr Kallergis. “This is our motto. These partners have helped us throughout the years. We share mutual trust and respect, and we always promise a fair negotiation that benefits both parties.
“We always recognise when a supplier goes above and beyond to helps us, by giving them a call or sending them a message to thank them. We invest a lot in the relationships between people. This is something I believe is missing nowadays from many companies in all sectors, which only offer an automated message when someone calls with an issue. We also pay on time, which is very important. We say 30 days, and it is 30 days.”
As a small, family-run business, Mr Kallergis is clear that Sea Pioneer is not about to lose its personal touch when it comes to clients, either. On the contrary, this is part of what makes the company stand out.
“We are transparent,” said Mr Kallergis. “We are not a big firm where it is impossible to reach the managers on the phone. This means the relationships we build with each client are stronger. If a customer is talking directly with the person making the decisions, it’s a more approachable and friendly experience overall. I think many clients like it and this approach makes us different from others.”
The shipping industry is entering a new era of digitisation and automation, something which will no doubt bring new challenges in its wake. Sea Pioneer is set to embrace this new era with a new fleet to match. But what keeps Mr Kallergis so motivated?
“First of all, I like the job,” he said, in conclusion. “That is very important in shipping. If someone doesn’t like it, they cannot do it. Every day there is a challenge to face, and I am required to be an on-the-spot problem solver. But this is exciting, satisfying and makes me feel good at the end of the day.”n
