The shipping industry is a "national capital" for Greece and one of the primary driving forces of the economy, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyiannis, the prime minister said that the shipping sector was a priority for the government.

"It is the most outgoing sector of the economy, servicing international trade, earning foreign exchange and employing tens of thousands of workers," Karamanlis said.

He promised that the government would do everything possible to maintain the sector's competitiveness.

"The Greek shipping industry, with a fleet of 3,400 vessels and a tonnage accounting for 16 percent of the world fleet, is the biggest and pioneering force in the world," he said.

"We want a shipping industry profitable and competitive, safe and environmentally friendly. An industry with an increasing national shipping register that creates new job positions," he added.

The prime minister stressed that Athens' initiative for creating an EU-wide coast guard has been favorably received in Brussels and is proceeding.

Source: Xinhua