Marinakis calls for dark fleet destruction

Our ocean environments are at considerable risk from the ageing and dilapidated dark fleet, which should have been scrapped years ago, Capital Maritime & Trading Corp founder Evangelos Marinakis told the final panel at the Capital Link conference in Athens on Monday. (1 June)

According to the tanker owner governments have failed to protect the oceans, nor have they considered the possible impacts of the lack of insurance and maintenance or conditions that crew are working under on these vessels.      “In my opinion, they should have acted immediately and blocked these vessels,” said Marinakis, “This hasn't happened and of course they are taking an enormous environmental risk.”          That risk is amplified for Mediterranean countries where tourism is a major source of income for people in countries including Greece, Italy, Spain and France, but also for the UK the Baltic countries and from the Black Sea to Suez.     The only solution to this problem is for these shipowners to be allowed to scrap these vessels claimed Marinakis.      “Give them a deadline of 60 or 90 days or even more to enable them to scrap the fleet this is the only way that you can reduce the fleet because at the end of the day, if after the wars are finished and this dark fleet stays that is because they are offering charterers much cheaper rates, and they use them,” he said.          If these ships continue to trade it will put the investments of legitimate owners at great risk.      “I think that we should all say it loudly, to the European Union and also to the United States to allow scrapping and to give a deadline so it can start,” concluded Marinakis.      Moderator Watson Farley & Williams Partner George Paleokrassas then asked to what extent have the benefits of sanctions been outweighed by the unintended consequences of the penalties? Sanctions have had the most impact on European consumers as the EU has been forced to source oil at higher prices than India and China, for example, according to the ship owner, “Sanctions make no sense,” he added.     

Putin and Russia are still selling crude oil and they receive more money than before the war, “So where is the impact of the sanctions?” Asked Marinakis.