Greek shipowner Evgenia Daskalopoulou, founder of Athens-based dry bulk operator Almi Marine Management, has died, the company announced Wednesday. She was 67.

Almi said Daskalopoulou passed away surrounded by her family. Born in 1958, she founded the company in 1992 and built it from a two-vessel handysize outfit into a modern supramax and ultramax owner-manager with six bulkers totaling 365,140 dwt under management.

"More than that, she shaped its character," Almi said in its announcement, pointing to her emphasis on integrity and respect for staff both ashore and at sea.

How did Almi grow from two handysizes to a 365,140 dwt fleet?

Greek shipping records show Almi began with two 1970-built handysize bulkers. Three decades later, the company runs an even split between three supramaxes and three 64,000 dwt ultramaxes.

Its newest tonnage — the 2024-built Mea Mare, Spike and Subra — sits alongside the older Altus, Anima and Sole. The split between modern and older units gives Almi exposure to both spot and mid-term charter demand across the Atlantic and Pacific basins.

For shippers and charterers, that mix translates into roughly 365,000 dwt of flexible bulk capacity on the water today, with a clear pipeline of replacement tonnage due from Chinese yards.

What does the 2025 newbuild program mean for the orderbook?

Almi has used 2025 to lock in future capacity. In February, the company ordered two 64,000 dwt ultramaxes at Nantong COSCO KHI Ship Engineering (NACKS) for delivery in the second quarter of 2029.

Days before Daskalopoulou's death, Almi added three more ultramax newbuildings at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry's Zhoushan yard for 2030 delivery. Reported contracting this year now stands at five ships, all ultramaxes in the 64,000 dwt class.

The pace matters. Five newbuilds in a single calendar year is unusually aggressive for a six-ship owner-manager, suggesting Almi intends to roughly double its controlled tonnage by 2030. Softer dry bulk charter rates through 2024 and into 2025 give owners an incentive to order before newbuild prices rise further.

Who continues to run Almi?

The company has said operations will continue as normal, with the Daskalopoulou family and management team committed to carrying the business forward.

Daskalopoulou's children, Ilias and Aristi, have both been involved with the family shipping business. Their longer-term roles at Almi have not been detailed publicly.

For charterers and financiers, the immediate question is succession. Greek family shipowners typically retain control through holding companies even after leadership changes, and Almi's statement suggests a continuation rather than a sale.

Where does Daskalopoulou sit in Greek shipping?

Daskalopoulou came from one of Greece's most prominent business families. She was the daughter of Aristides Daskalopoulos, whose family helped develop Greek food group Delta, and sister of businessman Dimitris Daskalopoulos.

Her connections to Greek industry ran deeper than shipping, though Almi remained her primary commercial focus for more than three decades.

What trajectory does the fleet take from here?

Almi's 2025 orderbook — five ultramax newbuildings at NACKS and COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry — will set the company's capacity profile into 2030. With the older Altus, Anima and Sole approaching the typical 25-30 year demolition window, the new tonnage will largely replace them while lifting total controlled dwt.

"The company she built stands on strong foundations," Almi said.

The five-ship contracting program, signed in the months before Daskalopoulou's death, points to a fleet expansion plan that will carry the business through the end of the decade regardless of leadership change at the top — and leaves Almi positioned to add capacity as dry bulk demand recovers.