Networks are composed of components (units) connected to each other through nodes and connecting webs, through which a network of flows is formed, either literally or metaphorically. Very important is the topology, the structure of a network, which is shaped by the pattern of connections (nodes and links).
The relative value of each unit depends on the centrality of its position. The particular usefulness of networks arises from the interconnection, not just the simple coexistence, of entities. Networks have emerging properties, meaning new characteristics of the whole that arise from the interaction and interconnection of their members. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and emergence is the appearance of collective properties that cannot be found in the individual members.
The design of the optimal network architecture, the adequacy of infrastructure such as the necessary fiber optic networks, and the successful selection of ‘critical’ nodes are obviously of particular importance, as they determine the control, the route, and the intensity of the related flows.
Networks are not phenomena of today. For centuries, countless types have existed: economic, social, political, religious, technical, cultural, geopolitical, etc. However, they were under the control of vertically structured national hierarchies. But since the mid-20th century, and especially after 1970, we have been experiencing the era of internationalized networks. For the explosive development of these networks, the role of new technologies in the fields of communication, telecommunications, and transportation (reduction of travel time or the time required to transport goods and information, changes in travel habits, increased human mobility) and the rapid evolution of globalization are decisive.
Seafaring as an Essential Feature of the Greek DNA
The history of Greece has been largely defined by the geographical characteristics of the Greek region since ancient times. From antiquity to the present, the sea and maritime communications have been, until recently, a major source of development and prosperity for the Greeks, ensuring important resources for the national economy.
The existence of so many islands and significant mountain ranges in mainland Greece, which made land communications difficult, led, thousands of years ago, to the existence of scattered communities of people who primarily communicated via sea. Therefore, the development of navigation was a condition for survival, and seafaring became an integral part of Greek tradition. Maritime activity, making trade exchanges and human contacts possible, contributed decisively to the economic prosperity and wide geographical dispersion of Hellenism, which in turn contributed to the flourishing of culture. Thus, through maritime communication, economic, social, and cultural networks were formed. Economic prosperity and the establishment of new colonies in more and more regions created, in turn, periodic bursts of cultural activities.
Thus, two complementary networks coexisted. One was a transport network, moving goods and people by sea, connecting communities or metropolises with colonies, and the second produced and exchanged culture. Both were dependent on the existence of a strong maritime industry.
In the broader Greek region, a similar network system operated with fluctuations in its role until the third quarter of the 20th century. In place of the colonies of antiquity, there were initially the provinces of the Byzantine Empire, and later, large Greek communities in the Eastern Mediterranean in cities such as Alexandria, Smyrna, Constantinople, and in the Black Sea in “new cities” like Odessa, Taganrog, Theodosia, or Constanța. Within this mosaic of regional markets, networks, and hubs, there was ample room for Greek maritime activity, especially in the markets of the then Ottoman Empire. The contribution of Greek ship captains and the Greek Diaspora communities to the Greek War of Independence is also well-known.
The large expatriate business and commercial communities continued to thrive even after liberation from the Ottomans. However, the exponential increase in international trade volumes, which followed the multiplication of European colonies and particularly after the Industrial Revolution, exerted strong pressure for new innovations and technologies in the fields of shipbuilding and navigation. When global maritime activity entered the era of the largest ships powered by steam technology, the shipbuilding of wooden sailing ships shrank. From the mid-20th century, Greek shipowners were required to have their ships built in foreign shipyards, which possessed both the technology and the competitive production costs. The numerous shipping enterprises of Greek shipowners gathered in a new center, Piraeus, which has been the center of Greek-owned shipping since the last third of the 19th century.
Greek shipowners, who showed exceptional adaptability and foresight, now had their reference point in the needs of the global market, which emerged from the unification and further development of smaller regional markets.
The pivotal regional role of Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea diminished after World War I, while the creation of the Soviet Union marked the disappearance of the strong Greek communities. A key factor in this development was also the tragic impact of the Asia Minor catastrophe.
However, the Greek maritime centers in the Ionian and Aegean Seas and their commercial maritime activities had established significant business networks with Western European ports. London became the second most important maritime center for Greeks, after Piraeus, during the first half of the 20th century, continuing the Greek diaspora with strong ties to Greece. The wealthy Greek community in London turned it into the main center of their maritime activity from 1940 to 1970, with New York following closely behind and Piraeus mainly serving as the center for the recruitment of Greek sailors in these three decades. However, from the early 1970s to the present, Greek-owned shipping, which is the largest in the world (under various flags), has once again returned to Greece. Piraeus and the broader Athens area now serve as the management center for Greek-owned shipping enterprises with their international business networks and activities.
As for global shipping and the infrastructure related to it, we are at the beginning of a new revolution, of similar importance to the one that led from sailing ships to steamships. Due to the anticipated increase in the global population and especially the growth of middle-income and lower-middle-income groups in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, and given that about 90% of global trade is transported by sea, the demand for maritime transportation will continue to grow at high rates. However, due to the challenges related to climate change, there will be strong pressure for the adoption of new technologies and environmentally-friendly fuels. Global shipping in the coming years will be under constant and strict international controls to ensure compliance with relevant regulations. Therefore, it must adapt to new conditions, which will require massive new investments.
The seafaring character of Hellenism, which has existed for thousands of years, and the entrepreneurial tradition of Greek shipowners, suggest that they will once again play a key role in the new era of green shipping. A prerequisite for this, of course, is that there will be a radical restructuring of the Greek-owned fleet based on new technological specifications.
What has changed radically compared to the past is that maritime activity, diaspora, and culture now operate almost autonomously. The strong connections that maintained powerful synergies no longer exist. Therefore, a coordinated effort to design national, mutually reinforcing “networks” is needed.
The strategy of the Hub revolves around participating in and supporting such an effort to take advantage of the new opportunities created by the new challenges for future maritime activity, aiming to create a cohesive framework for cooperation between shipping and the diaspora, with the shared goal of accumulating national wealth and power, as well as reviving Greek cosmopolitan culture and contributing significantly to the global search for new solutions to pressing global human issues.
See here the history of the establishment of Komvos.