In an interview with “Naftemporiki”, the president of the Hellenic Shipowners’ Association of Tugs, Pavlos Xiradakis, referred to the great operational capabilities that the new tugboats and rescue ships will have in the management of maritime incidents in the Aegean.
“It is good for the Greek state to take decisions on safety issues faster and not to legislate only after serious maritime accidents”, Xiradakis said adding that with the two new presidential decrees, the mandatory safety requirements, the design and construction specifications of tugboats and lifeboats and the management of maritime incidents and accidents in the Greek area are radically changing.
He underlined that the arrival of new ships and the promotion of shipbuilding investments will enhance healthy competition, safety in ports and the environment, as, according to estimates by shipping agents, in the Greek area there will soon be around 100 new firefighting tugs ready to respond.
Despite the fact that we had expertise and experience at an international level, it took years of consultation to issue the relevant presidential decrees, Xiradakis said, speaking of “small interests” that plague the industry.
“The Greek state must take decisions on safety issues faster and not to legislate only after serious maritime accidents,” Xiradakis underlined.
On the occasion of the new presidential decrees for the new specifications of lifesaving vessels, three modern tugboats of Greek interests have been added to the Greek registry, while two more are expected to be added in the near future.
One of the most recent such lifeboats that was in the port of Piraeus and recently sailed to the port of Thessaloniki for the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) was the “Aegeon Pelagos Sea Line.”
This lifeboat can accommodate 40 people, has the capacity to receive 1,046 cubic meters of oily waste and a pulling power of 130 tons. It has a crew of 14 people.
Xiradakis also said that the country’s current fleet would not be able to respond to a serious maritime accident.
The fleet of Greek-owned tugs numbered approximately 150 tugs so far, of which 110 were active, with an average age of 33 years.
