‘Shipping is targeted unfairly,’ says shipowners union chief

Shipping has been unfairly targeted, Melina Travlos, the president of the Union of Greek Shipowners (EEE), said connected Thursday, noting that “the assemblage has present been instrumentalized successful crises that are geopolitical and very political.”

In a treatment with Kathimerini Executive Editor Alexis Papachelas, during a league connected vigor transition co-organized by the Financial Times and Kathimerini, the caput of the Greek shippers analyzed the analyzable challenges planetary shipping is facing successful an situation of aggravated geopolitical turmoil.

She made some strong comments connected the stance of the European Union: “Why isn’t Europe dealing with shipping? Because shipping simply has nary votes.” 

Despite the information that Greek shipping represents 61% of the EU fleet and 35% of the planetary fleet, Europe was slow to recognize its dependence connected the sector, maintaining a sometimes “punitive” cognition for years. 

It took the situation of the war successful Ukraine for the European enactment to understand that shipping is its astir almighty geopolitical tool, particularly astatine a clip when the continent’s shipbuilding manufacture is fundamentally “finished.”

Thursday’s treatment focused peculiarly connected the “shadow fleet,” which are the ships used by Russia and Iran to export oil, which Travlos described arsenic a nonstop threat. 

“The shadiness fleet is simply a menace to shipping. It is simply a menace to us,” she said.

She categorically rejected allegations of engagement by Greek interests, emphasizing that Greek shipping operates strictly connected the ground of planetary regulations and owed diligence procedures. 

“All those who talk astir the shadiness fleet, fto them tell us where they person really recovered a Greek vessel that is portion of that fleet,” she said, explaining that this targeting is often owed to the information that Greece is perpetually successful the spotlight arsenic the starring maritime power.

She added that – with the objection of the US, EU and some different countries – states such arsenic India and China bash not use sanctions and so Russian lipid exports to them.