The Union of Greek Shipowners sets two main priorities regarding the medium-term measures for the green transition of shipping, which are expected to be agreed this week at the International Maritime Organization.
The central point of the positions developed by the Union of Greek Shipowners, the largest national shipowners’ association in the world, is that these measures should not undermine tramp shipping, as well as those who were the first to move and invest in green technologies.
The president of the Union, Melina Travlou, proposed to add the “liability” of the charterer in the text. That means allowing shipping companies to recover the cost of compliance from the commercial operator.
A position that, according to information, the European Union has also adopted in its regulatory framework. In particular, the EU regulations provide that shipping companies are entitled to reimbursement of compliance costs when the purchase of fuel or the operation of the ship is undertaken by the charterer, as is usually the case in time charters, for tramp shipping. A sector that also constitutes the backbone of global shipping. The European Commission is also an “ally” of the position expressed by the Union of Greek Shipowners.
“A global solution for medium-term measures must be both sustainable and realistic,” said Melina Travlou, president of the Union of Greek Shipowners, to Lloyd’s List.
Another contentious issue will be the treatment of liquefied natural gas as a marine fuel.
The Union considers liquefied natural gas to be “the most sustainable” transitional fuel for reducing emissions on the path to net zero.
