Respected Greek banker and Okeanis Eco Tankers board member George Aronis has died at the age of 63.

Aronis became an independent director of the Oslo-listed tanker company in May 2020.

Okeanis said "with great sorrow" that he passed away on 10 September.

Aronis began his career in 1982 in the banking sector.

He held senior management positions at Dutch lender ABN Amro both in Greece and abroad, and at the National Bank of Greece Group.

Most recently, he was deputy chief executive of retail and wholesale banking at Alpha Bank and also chaired the executive committee of the Hellenic Bank Association.

Shortly after joining the Okeanis board, Aronis became the president of Athens International Airport.

'Deeply knowledgeable'

"Mr Aronis was an invaluable member of the board, deeply knowledgeable and impeccable in his performance and professionalism," Okeanis said.

"The board would like to thank Mr Aronis for his contribution and express its sincerest condolences to his family," the company added.

Okeanis has a seven-person board, including two other independent directors, Charlotte Stratos and John Kittmer.

Company chief executive Ioannis Alafouzos is chairman and has a 56.8% stake in Okeanis.

Investors Daniel Gold, with 7.65%, Joshua Nemser with 4.87%, and Robert Knapp, who owns 3.07%, also sit on the board.

The company is predicting a rise in VLCC rates in the second half of 2021 after it slipped to a loss in the second quarter.

The three months were characterised by a lower-trending market with "poor sentiment and no volatility", Okeanis said.

There was a persistent oversupply of ships in all trading basins, the company added.

The Oslo-listed VLCC and suezmax owner logged a net loss to 30 June of $8m against a profit of $37m last year, as revenue fell to $47m from $81m.