Nereus Shipping S.A. is dedicated to providing services to the tanker & bulker markets at the highest possible level. We are committed to upholding outstanding standards with regard to Safety, Environmental Protection, Health, Security and Performance. Our employees are skilled and experienced through ongoing training and development, that focuses on their continuous improvement. All of our vessels fly the Greek Flag.
Excellence in all business operations is at the heart
of Nereus Shipping S.A.’s business philosophy
We are committed to delivering high-end services to the tanker and bulker markets, always respecting our stakeholders, employees and the environment
We strive for excellence
The “Nereus Shipping S.A.” company was established by the Lemos family which hails from the Greek island of Oinousses. The Lemos family traces its roots back to the 19th century, when Captain Michael K. Lemos (1881-1940), managed a fleet of steamships and was among the founders of the Piraeus Shipping Bank.
Continuing the tradition, Costas M. Lemos (1910-1995) was a graduate of the University of Athens Law School and a Merchant Marine Captain. He began his career in shipping in London in 1937, and after the outbreak of World War II, he settled in New York. While in New York, he managed a fleet of 15 Liberty ships, along with Emmanuel Kulukundis, in service of the Allied cause.
In 1947 he acquired the Liberty ship “John Drew” built in 1943, as a form of war reparation since the Lemos family had lost three steamships during the war, and renamed her “Michael”. In the same year, the “C.M. Lemos” company was founded in London to serve as the headquarters of an expanded Liberty fleet.
Costas M. Lemos was considered a pioneer among Greek shipowners and was among the first to build ships in Japanese shipyards in the 1950s, in such volume that in 1965 he was honoured by the Japanese government for his contribution to the country’s economic development.
Passionate about science and technology, he is credited with the development of combination cargo ships (Ore-Bulk-Oil carriers, Ore-Oil carriers.) and the introduction of horizontal watertight bulkheads on them. He pioneered the transfer of vessel’s bridge accommodation to the stern rather than the middle of the hull, which was the prevailing trend at the time. He also built double-hulled combination carriers, some 20 years before the first double-hulled tankers were ordered from another Greek company.
In 1971 he took delivery of the two largest bulk carriers in the world, the 174,000 ton OBO’s “Rhetoric” & “Romantic”. In 1973 he took delivery of the 446,500-ton supertanker “Homeric” among the largest to ever be built. In the mid-1980s the company’s fleet was significantly reduced and recorded a decreased shipbuilding activity in Japanese shipyards.
Apart from being a true pioneer in business and shipbuilding design, Costas M. Lemos had an honest and sincere love and support for his homeland and Greek seafarers, especially the younger generation entering the maritime profession.
In the mid-1990s the company would begin newbuilding programmes of modern Suezmax tankers (150,000 tonnes) and VLCCs (300,000 tonnes) at the Japanese yards of Mitsui, NKK, and Universal.
In 2010 Nereus Shipping S.A. took delivery of two of the largest Capesize cargo ships from the Odense shipyards in Denmark and in 2013 it started its cooperation with Korean shipyards SPP & HII for the building of bulk carriers and tankers.
The company currently operates a modern fleet of 10 Suezmax tankers and three bulk carriers and will take delivery of one LR2 tanker (115,000 tonnes) in June 2023. Three more LR2 tankers are under construction at the Hyundai Vietnam yard and will be delivered in 2025. Throughout its history, the company has remained loyal to the same core values: quality of services, health and safety, innovation, seafarer well-being and training and environmental sustainability.
The company’s headquarters are located in Piraeus, in the “Lemos Maritime Building” while our chartering offices are located in London and New York.