Two Greek shipowners, Dr. Nikos Tsakos and Stamatis Tsantanis, focused on the risk of investing in new ships, as a result of the great uncertainty over green fuels, during interviews to Bloomberg, in the context of the ESG International Awards, held at Zappeion Mansion.
The founder and CEO of Tsakos Energy Navigation, Dr. Nikos Tsakos, emphasized, among other things, during the conference – whose communications sponsor was “N” – that one of the biggest issues is that shipowners are currently being asked to order ships without knowing which fuel will prevail in the next 5-20 years, how the transition will be costed and whether the investments of hundreds of millions of dollars will remain sustainable.
“People have to decide now whether to buy a ship that may not be compatible with the regulations of the future. It is an extremely difficult decision,” he noted.
Regarding environmental regulations at the International Maritime Organization, the discussion on which was postponed in October for a year, Tsakos stressed: “Regulations are often decided without sufficient dialogue with shipowners.”
Shipping needs a balance between ambition and reality, according to Stamatis Tsantanis, chairman and CEO of Seanergy Maritime and United Maritime.
“Adaptation and resilience are not theoretical concepts. It is how we operate every day: investments, know-how and proper risk management,” he said.
Source: Naftemporiki