ZOOM January 2003
"Ploto. Greek ship masters and ship owners from the end of the 18th century to the
2nd World War"
Jelina Harlafti, Manos Haritatos, Eleni Beneki
Athens, E.L.I.A., 2002 

The second book concerning the history of greek shipping, the most essential part of the national economy in Greece, has recently been edited by E.L.I.A. These editions are the outcome of a project which is in progress the last four years in E.L.I.A. and is sponsored by the foundation "Stavros S.Niarchos". The specific project' s subject is "Two centuries greek shipping 1750-1950" and its object is the description of the greek shipping' s development, through an acurate registration of ship owners, ships and ports during the above time.
Before Ploto it was Pontoporia, a historical record of greek shipping, with greek sailboats and steamboats of over 60 tons, from the foundation of the greek state to the 2nd World War. Pontoporia and Ploto were named after the two goddesses who, according to the greek mythology, protected sailors.
In Ploto we find an attempt to conceive the greek shipping business of the littoral areas, on the particular basis of the family shipping business, from the end of 18th century, until before the beginning of the 2nd World War. The action of 165 families, connected to the greek shipping, coming from 33 different places, is described in a book composed after local research of primary and unedited material, documents and photographs. This second edition is offered with a CD Rom, including the data basis of Pontoporia, along with a visual tour to the places, where ship owners and ship masters came from.
Pontoporia and Ploto, with this impressive mass of Greek ships and their masters detected, wish to be a useful guide to the historians of shipping, as well as to those who still work at shipping business or the offspring of the families marked in the tomes.