The location of the archives of the Bank’s Shipping Operations Division in January 2024 in the premises of the Shipping Credit Management Division, namely in the so-called Vattis Mansion in Piraeus, offered the Historical Archive the opportunity to include in its collections material related to shipping credit and the lending of shipping activity.

The need for the creation of a unit within the Bank to manage shipping operations was first reflected in its organisational structure in 1962, when the “independent unit Shipping Operations” was established by Governor’s Act No 135 (25.7.1962), which soon evolved into a Directorate (1964). Since then, the subject of shipping operations has been coordinated and carried out by the Bank on a permanent basis by a separate Directorate, whose archives contain the material documenting the complete shipping credit procedure.

The material received in May 2024 consists of 160 boxes, containing mainly loan agreements, maritime mortgages, registers and insurance policies, covering the period 1960-1998. Much of the files are classified by the unit producing the material. The material may be subject to clearance, as this procedure was not applied by the producing unit as required by the Bank. To date, a first grouping of the basic external indications on the envelopes has been completed, the nitrogen fumigation process has been completed and the processing of the material for classification will start soon.