I am Alexandros Vrailas, a 23-year-old Greek studying at City, University of London in the United Kingdom. I enjoy going to Greece every summer in order to see my family. One of my highlights is getting to see the ships that travel to the islands I go to, since I have a great passion for shipping, and especially for the coastal service sector. I know everything about the Greek ferries, high speed craft and small passenger ships, including their history, their details, as well as their companies and their schedules.

Enjoy my photos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The website's logo since 2017, designed by my good friend Fares Ben Sliman to whom I am truly grateful.

 

About myself:

 

I was born in New York City on 16 June 1999 to Greek parents. I have a twin brother and a younger sister. I was only 7 weeks old when I moved to Athens, spending the first four years of my life there, before moving to Brussels in 2003. In 2009, I moved to Washington, DC and I stayed there for two years, before returning to New York City in 2011, where I stayed until 2017 when I finished high school. I graduated from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom with a degree in International Management, and I am now doing a Master's course in Shipping, Trade and Finance in City, University of London. Though I was born in the US, I consider myself Greek and my love for my country is not a secret to anyone. Ever since leaving Greece, I go there every summer for about 1-2 months, and it is always the best opportunity  for me to see family, friends and to discover beautiful places. I go every summer to Aegina on the Saronic Gulf and to Zakynthos on the Ionian Sea. Apart from these islands, I have also been in Evoia, Salamina, Agistri, Kefalonia, Santorini, Thirassia, Ios, Sifnos, Hydra, Poros, Mykonos, Delos, Naxos, Paros, Antiparos, Spetses, Andros, Koufonisi, Syros, Milos, Kimolos and Tinos. I have had great times in my life, thanks to my amazing family and the all the good friends and people I have met, and I pleased to say that, wherever I have been, I have always had a great time.

 

About my passion for shipping:

 

I began having a passion shipping at a very young age, and I can remember that my first contact with ships was when I was 4 years old, in Zakynthos, after I saw the beautiful orange-painted hull of the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS of Zante Ferries. I later enjoyed seeing the ships arrive and leave the island of Aegina, while sitting in the bench of a restaurant that is close to the port. There, I was amazed by the way that the ships operate, load cars and depart islands. Even though I love cargo shipping, the passenger sector, and more notably the coastal service, has also been among my favourite sectors in shipping. When returning to Greece each summer, I was able to see present and new ships, and I just decided to learn everything about every passenger ship in Greece (name, company, history, service, operations, characteristics). I now know all information about the Greek coastal service. I began to take photos of ships in 2012, when I received my first camera. I found during that same year many Greek sites which gave news about all ships' current trends, so my updates on this site are usually coordinated with time. I decided to present my passion for shipping through a website, and I have enjoyed sharing it with visitors. I truly want to be involved in shipping when I am older, and my dream is to actually own a shipping company in Greece. I am also grateful to my parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles who have constantly helped me and supported me with this passion, offering me any information, picture, or trip related to the Greek coastal service.

 

About this site:

 

The Greek Coastal Service website was launched in 15 June 2015. The idea of creating the site however originates from January 2015. Two months before this idea, I had lost all photos I had taken from my Greece trips between 2012 and 2014 following a computer crash. Therefore, all of the many photos of ships that I had taken during that period were lost forever. The only exceptions were a few photos that I had posted on the AIS website. To protect them from any sudden disappearance, I decided to place them on my own personal site, so that they could stay there forever. The site was set up following the end of the 2014-15 school year, and I have constantly updated it since, with new photos and updated historical information on ships. Since August 2015, it also includes a blog, which has posts (usually posted on a monthly basis) that relate to a specific trip with a ship, a tribute to a port or to a group of ships, as well as farewell to ships retiring from service. It is overall a great way to share my passion, my photos and my knowledge with everyone else. Don't be surprised if I see a new ship this summer and her pictures are posted on the site.

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This site is dedicated to my amazing family, to my closest friends, as well as to all people involved in the sector of shipping throughout the entire country of Greece.