Capital Maritime Finance raises €300m in landmark Athens shipping IPO

Capital Maritime Finance raised €300 million through its stock market debut in Athens this week, marking Greece’s largest maritime equity offering and the first primary listing of a shipping company exclusively on Euronext Athens. The initial public offering (IPO) attracted strong demand from Greek and international investors, with subscriptions exceeding the shares available by 4.34 times, according to an official announcement. Shares were priced at €7.50 each, giving the container shipping company a market capitalisation of €1.05 billion on its first day of trading under the ticker CMFC. The listing comes as the company prepares to expand its fleet considerably, with 23 new container vessels under construction, in addition to the 13 ships it currently operates. Its existing fleet has a combined capacity of 27,891 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), while the vessels under construction will add another 120,874 TEU. Once all deliveries are completed, Capital Maritime Finance will operate 36 fully owned container ships, all covered by long-term charter agreements extending as far as 2038. Meanwhile, the IPO involved the issuance of 40 million new shares, bringing the company’s total share capital to 140 million shares, all of which have been admitted to trading in Athens. Commenting on the listing, Capital Maritime Finance chairman Gerasimos Kalogiratos welcomed the response from investors, saying “The strong demand for our offering is a vote of confidence”, referring to the company’s business model, modern fleet and expansion plans. He also emphasised the wider significance of the transaction for Greece’s maritime industry, stating that “This listing strengthens Greece’s position as a global maritime hub”. The transaction marks the third shipping company listing on Euronext Athens in 2026 and the 70th listing across Euronext’s markets this year, reflecting the growing use of European capital markets to finance shipping investment.