Capital Maritime Finance Corp., the container shipping company in which Greek shipowner Evangelos Marinakis holds a majority stake, advanced during its first days of trading on Euronext Athens, according to an exclusive Bloomberg report on Monday.

The company, which raised 300 million euros (US$336 million) through its listing, closed on Oct. 23 at 7.53 euros a share, narrowly above its offering price earlier in the week, while the Euronext Athens large-cap index fell 3% over the same period.

Marinakis focuses on Capital Maritime Finance in Bloomberg interview

More than 50% of the shares offered in Capital Maritime Finance’s public offering were allocated to retail investors, Marinakis told Bloomberg correspondent by Kiel Porter, describing this as being of “enormous importance” to him because it gives Greek citizens the opportunity to acquire a stake in the company. The listing on the Athens Stock Exchange addressed a “historic paradox” by giving investors access to the domestic shipping industry, he said in an interview in New York.

Capital Maritime Finance is the first shipping company to have a primary listing on Euronext Athens, following the dual listings of dry bulk shipping companies Star Bulk Carriers Corp. and Safe Bulkers Inc. earlier this year. It is the second public offering this year by a company belonging to Marinakis’ business group, following the listing of Capital Tankers Corp. on the Oslo Stock Exchange in March.

Marinakis was in the United States for the opening of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s new STEM center, which was made possible by his donation to the historic academic institution and named after his father, Miltiadis Marinakis.

According to the report, Marinakis also supported and sponsored the Greek National Opera’s concert, “Nikos Kazantzakis: An Odyssey in Music,” which captivated audiences in New York.