He is the father of Chrysí Vardinogianni, wife of Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark.
He managed to be promoted to the rank of captain and then along with his brothers found the family ship and oil business.
Yiorgos Vardinoyannis was captain of the oil tanker MV Arietta Venezelos which in February 1966 was located in the Persian Gulf.
The Greek government, reacting to concerns that oil it was taking on board was destined for Rhodesia gave instructions to the owners, Venezelos SA to divert the ship to Rotterdam rather than South Africa and forbade the delivery of oil to Rhodesia.
[2] However, Vardinogiannis continued to sail for Beira in Mozambique, then a colony of Portugal.