Shippers talk policies
Shipowners confirmed their support for the government’s policy to date in oceangoing shipping at a meeting yesterday between representatives of the Hellenic Shipowners’ Union (EEE) and new Merchant Marine Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis. The shipowners provided the minister with the latest figures on Greek-owned shipping and referred to the issues of naval education, attracting young people to maritime jobs as well as various affairs concerning the European Union’s shipping policy and Greece’s positions. Greek-managed shipping, the minister was told, continues to hold the top spot in the world in terms of capacity and as a supplier of high-level shipping services. By making the most of its increased productivity, it is continuing steadily to modernize its fleet of both tankers and dry-bulk carriers. At present, the number of ships on order from Greek interests stands at 700, up from 610 in February; their total capacity is estimated at over 50 million deadweight tons. In 2006 foreign exchange inflows came to -14 billion and are expected to reach -15 billion this year, the shipowners said. At last week’s meeting of the EEE with the London-based Hellenic Shipping Cooperation Committee, held in Piraeus, it was stressed that «the size of this steady annual inflow of exchange can immediately be appreciated when compared with the -4.24 billion that is the amount of the rise in exports in the period 2004-2006, with revenues from privatizations in 2005 and 2006 that totaled -4.6 billion and foreign direct investment which reached -4.3 billion.» Regarding developments at the EU level, Greek shipowners along with their European colleagues have reacted through institutional channels to the «penalization» of naval professions. Following the first positive news from the court they expect a favorable development from the Commission. The Greek side also supports the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in its role as regulator of the global institutional framework and is in favor of creating a broadly acceptable system for the operation of regular conference lines. It also backs the basic principles of the Green Paper by EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg with greater emphasis on the proposals for realizing the Lisbon agenda with respect to development, the adoption of international solutions in the context of the IMO and the protection of the marine environment. «All this of course on the basis of realistic policies that do not create problems to the operation of shipping,» EEE sources said.
