Europe needs to understand the strategic importance of Greek shipping as the owner of 59% of the EU fleet, especially in times when shipping can play a crucial role in the continent’s scramble for energy independence, said Melina Travlos, President of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) during a press conference at Posidonia Exhibition.
As she explained, “energy transition is the most important issue for us. What Europe does with decarbonisation regulations such as Fit for 55 and Emissions Trading System (ETS), must be guided by the need to preserve and promote the competitiveness of European shipping as a whole. Certain decisions may be detrimental to our industry and could risk losing our competitive edge against competition from Asia and other regions.”
We want a global solution and not one that is only impacting specific regions. We want realistic solutions that safeguard navigation safety
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Ms. Travlos added, explaining that “through memberships in various organisations, Greek shipping is present in every international forum where we always try to help the implementation of the right policies for the industry. Europe insists on Fit for 55, whereas we insist that the solution must be international within a framework set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).”
Also speaking during Posidonia, the Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Ioannis Plakiotakis, said that shipping is required to face the complex challenges placed by the progressively stricter IMO and EU environmental legislation and the financial issues related thereto.
In his keynote during this morning’s opening panel of the HELMEPA Conference on the third day of this year’s Posidonia Exhibition, Plakiotakis, referred to decarbonisation as a ‘flaming issue’ and as ‘one of the biggest challenges for shipping’.
