Pericles Panagopoulos

Pericles Panagopoulos (29 December 1935 – 5 February 2019) was a Greek shipping magnate. He is considered to have been an institutor of the modern shipping industry,[1][2] and the most successful Greek shipping magnate since Aristotle Onassis.[3] He gained acclaim for having created three shipping business entities, in his lifetime. In 1989, he sold Royal Cruise Lines to Kloster for a reported US$300 million (US$607 million as converted in 2019).[4] In 2007, he sold his Athens-based Attica Group for about US$404 million to Marfin Investment Group (MIG).[5] He also owns Magna Marine Inc., a modern shipping company that owns and runs modern bulk carriers.[6] His death was announced by his wife, on Facebook on February 5, 2019.[7][8]

Pericles Panagopoulos
Born(1935-12-29)29 December 1935
Died5 February 2019(2019-02-05) (aged 83)
NationalityGreek
OccupationBusinessman
SpouseKaterina Nafplioti Panagopoulos
ChildrenAlexander Panagopoulos
Irene Panagopoulos

Early life

Panagopoulos was born in a nursing home in Athens. His father built hotel Veto in Athens. The hotel was taken over by Nazi officers in WWII, during the Axis occupation of Greece. After five months of hospitalization, his father died, following a violent attack by the Nazi occupiers.[9] Leaving the young Pericles and his two half-brothers to be brought up by his widowed mother from Constantinople.

Career

In 1972 in partnership with Barney A. Ebsworth, he formed Royal Cruise Line. The m/s Golden Odyssey was the company's first cruise ship. Built in Helsingor Shipyard and delivered in 1974, she was designed to carry 450 passengers as this was the capacity of the 747 Jumbo Jet airplane. The company grew with the addition of the 850-passenger Royal Odyssey in 1982 and the 1000-passenger Crown Odyssey in 1988 before getting acquired by Kloster Cruises in 1989. In 1993, Pericles Panagopoulos co-founded with his son Alexander Panagopoulos, Superfast Ferries, as part of the Attica Group, an Athens-listed holding corporation.

In 2009 he was kidnapped by armed men in Athens.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] The kidnapping was orchestrated from prison by Greek crime boss Panagiotis Vlastos, who later made a failed attempt to escape prison, with a helicopter armed with improvised explosive devices and AK-47s.[20]

His family paid a ransom of €30 million (approximately $39 million) to secure Panagopoulos's release.[21][22] The ransom was reported by Greek police to be the highest ever paid.[23]

See also

References
  1. "Τελευταίο αντίο στον Περικλή Παναγόπουλο". newsbeast (in Greek). 2019-02-08. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  2. Παπαστεφάνου, Βιβή (2019-02-05). "Πέθανε ο εφοπλιστής Περικλής Παναγόπουλος". ert.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  3. "Gang Kidnaps Magnate". The Press New Zealand via Press Reader. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  4. "History of Attica Enterprises S.A. – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com.
  5. http://www.interferry.com/panagopulos-sells-attica/
  6. "Magna Marine". www.magna-marine.com. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  7. "Πέθανε ο εφοπλιστής Περικλής Παναγόπουλος". ProtoThema. 5 February 2019.
  8. Kampouris, Nick (5 February 2019). "Shipping Magnate Pericles Panagopoulos Dies at 83 | GreekReporter.com". Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  9. "Pericles Panagopoulos - Blue Star Ferries - Interviews - EBR". European Business Review. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  10. "Kidnappers free Greek shipping tycoon Pericles Panagopoulos". The Telegraph. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  11. "Kidnappers free elderly Greek shipping magnate". Associated Press. January 20, 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  12. "Anger outside parliament". The Star. January 21, 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  13. "Greek shipowner reportedly kidnapped". Associated Press. January 12, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  14. "Greek police arrest 10 crime gang suspects". Associated Press. July 4, 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  15. "Shipping magnate freed by kidnappers; world news bulletin". Western Mail. January 21, 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  16. "Bomb explodes outside Athens home of prosecutor". Associated Press. November 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  17. "Wife of Greek kidnap victim asks to take his place". Associated Press. January 16, 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  18. "Gang behind Ship-Owner Kidnapping". Greek News. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  19. "'Record ransom' paid for Greek magnate". The Daily Telegraph. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  20. "Dramatic helicopter escape from Greek prison foiled". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  21. Athens, John Carr in (2009-01-21). "Wife pays €30m for freedom of Greek tycoon Pericles Panagopoulos". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  22. "UPDATE 3-Kidnappers free Greek tycoon for 30 mln euro ransom". Reuters. 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  23. "Whopping ransom paid for shipping tycoon". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2009-01-21. Retrieved 2019-01-02.


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