Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> February 21, 2011
Harry N. Vafias, President and Chief Executive Officer of StealthGas Inc., founded the company in 2004. StealthGas was listed on Nasdaq in October 2005, and since its inception has raised about $300 million from the capital markets. StealthGas owns roughly 40 liquefied petroleum gas carriers and three tankers and is the largest company, in number of vessels, in gas transportation worldwide. Mr. Vafias founded Stealth Maritime Corp. S.A. in 1999. Stealth Maritime has invested about $1.2 billion from 2006 to 2009 for the renewal of the tanker fleet, and today operates 22 50,000 to 120,000 dead weight tonnage modern double-hull tankers, all under long-term charters with oil companies and traders. In 2005, he founded Estates Corporation Inc., a real estate company, investing in Greece, London, New York and Geneva. In 2007, Mr. Vafias became CEO of the Vafias Group, which today is the fourth-largest shipping group in Greece with 65 owned vessels, two of which are under construction. In 2008, he was awarded by Nasdaq for being the youngest CEO of a listed shipping company worldwide. In 2010, Mr. Vafias was elected Vice Chairman of the INTERTANKO's Hellenic Mediterranean Panel. In the same year, he was given the Seatrade Young Person in Shipping award. Profile
TWST: Please start with a history of StealthGas and an overview of your operation.
Mr. Vafias: I founded StealthGas (GASS) in 2005, because I had been in the shipping industry for many years and saw a
