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History

Established in 2025

Affar Shipping Co. (“Affar”), is a new private shipping company that will invest in the ownership and management of vessels in the dry bulk sector.

The company is headquartered in Athens Greece and is led by Francesco Melachrinos who is the 4th generation in a long family line spanning over 120 years in the maritime industry.
Affar will initially take over the full commercial management of vessels and will cooperate with trusted reputable industry technical managers who it will oversee.
Our focus is to provide lucrative returns for investors while providing safe, efficient and environmentally friendly vessel management to the highest international standards.
Through our close relationships with many of the industry’s leading charterers we are able to effectively execute our commercial strategy by having preferential access to cargo.
Affar’s strategic objective is to grow its business in through accretive investments in the Panamax sector, leveraging its asset management expertise and strong ties with top tier counter parties to secure spot, medium or long term employment contracts depending on our assessment of the market and investors’ preferences.

Our Mission

Our goal is to combine our extensive knowledge and experience of traditional shipping with the global structures, practices, and advances of modern shipping.

HISTORY

1895

Building wooden ships

The business started in 1895 by Rafael Melachrinos in Hydra Island, Greece with a shipyard for wooden built dry bulk carriers.

In 1908 he moved to Samos Island, an island rich in wood, with the logic of creating a shipyard that would not need to import wood from Turkey. The pines of Samos were also quite water resistant, being the ideal primary material for the ships.

1948

100 ships, steel building

Over the next 30 years, up until 1948, together with his son Frantzeskos Melachrinos (2nd generation), they built over 100 ships from 500 dwt to 1,500 dwt.

After World War II and the closure of most shipyards on the island, son Frantzeskos Melachrinos decided to move the business to Piraeus. This was the time to enter steel-built ships. Together with his brothers, they started buying and managing dry bulk ships of around 12,000 dwt.

1976

Tween decker and handies

In 1976, as the family was growing, Frantzeskos believed it was time to separate from his brothers and continue on a new company with his sons, mainly focused on tween deckers, and handy sizes.

1993-2001

Panamaxes

In 1993, his son Rafael Melachrinos (3rd generation), started his own company with the scope to enter the handy-size market.

In 2001, seeing that there was a trend for larger ships and economies of scale, Rafael Melachrinos decided to invest and grow a fleet in the Panamax dry-bulk market.

2012-2025

Broking company and commercial management

In 2012, Francesco Melachrinos (4th generation), joined his father’s business of ship management following his work in shipbroking at one of the largest shipbrokers globally.

In 2021, Francesco Melachrinos decided to start his own company broking company, namely Nomchart, the largest Panamax desk in Athens and in 2025 Francesco Melachrinos set up Affar Shipping, the commercial management company.