Enough not done to make industry greener
During the recent digital on-line Greener Shipping Summit 2020 that focussed on the future of Greek shipping, Intercargo chairman, Dimitris Fafalios said "Greek owners over the past six or so years have embraced the EEDI and green technology available in the market place and have embarked on retrofitting their bulk carriers." However, during a Q&A session the president of Fafalios Shipping opined "designers and builders of ships have not done enough to make shipping greener.
According to Vasilis Bacolitsas, chairman of Intertanko's Hellenic Panel, shipping as a whole has done very little to improve its "green credentials" especially pertaining to the "designers and builders of ships, and makers of engine room equipment."
On tankers Bacolitsas, director Sea Pioneer Shipping Corp informed "Dual fuel ships are the dominant contributors to greener shipping. While a step in the right direction will not get us to where we want to go if we are to reach the emission targets."
Held under the auspices of Greece's powerful Marine Technical Managers Association, Martecma's chairman, Stavros Hatzigrigoris, warned "Greek shipping will have to try harder than ever if it is to maintain the top ranking that it presently enjoys." He believes "Core companies of Greek shipping are those with fleets up to 25 ships and that they may find it difficult to survive. Shipping is still a good sector in which to invest."
Shipowner Ioanna Procopiou, md of Prominence Maritime, stated, "Shipping needs to step outside its bubble and educate the people who are making the decisions for the industry as the IMO, is often blind-sided by regional governments."
"For a fuel to be really green it has to be produced by a green method and not from a fossil fuel which has a debatable footprint. So it's important not to just evaluate the fuel once it is onboard the ship but through a total life-cycle analysis. If we don't approach it is in this manner, regulators will soon catch-up and owners will be forced to pay a heavy fine or their vessels will become obsolete," Procopiou concluded.