Greek shipowner Yiannis Sarantitis has crowned his longstanding links to Norway with a decoration for services rendered.
Guests from business, banking and politics gathered on a cold December day in Athens to see the 46-year-old receive the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, Knight First Class.
King Harald confers the award on foreigners and Norwegian citizens living abroad for “outstanding service in the interests of Norway”.
Sarantitis received it from Jorn Eugene Gjelstad, Norway’s ambassador to Greece.
Honorary consul
A businessman and senior partner at one of the best-known law offices in Greece, Sarantitis has served as Norway’s honorary consul in Piraeus since 2009. However, his relationship with the Nordic country goes back much further.
“I have been cooperating with the Norwegians for my entire business life,” he told his guests.
He cited telecoms firm Telenor as an example, with which he pursued joint investments in Greece and the Balkans.
“Greece and Norway have much in common,” he said in a speech attended by shipping luminaries such as Dimitris and Vassilis Dalacouras, Fotini Karamanli and Martis Kouloukountis.
Seafaring nations
“They have close business links, they share the same love for the sea [and] they are two great seafaring nations.”
W Marine, the company Sarantitis set up in 2003 with Nikos Triantafyllakis as managing director, has been part of these links. The outfit teamed up with Norwegian partners in early 2018 to buy two large dry bulkers.
