Shipowners Union of Short-sea shipping demands competitiveness initiatives

[proud_ionian]

Source: Hellenic Shipping News

With a detailed annotation to the Ministry of Mercantile Shipping, the Shipowners Union of Short-Sea Shipping, as will soon be renamed, has asked the government to adopt measures to enhance the competitiveness of this part of the shipping sector as well, or else the companies-members will face serious survival problems. The latest measures were released 20 years ago, back in 1987. As a result, new initiatives must be taken, such as the reviewing of on-board crew composition, according to the standards now applicable to large bulkers. For instance, despite the fact that short-sea shippers operate smaller vessels (up to 30,000-dwt), they are obliged to employ more crew members than their larger counterparts, a major injustice which has to be lifted. A typical example is that as of the beginning of the year a 20,000-dwt vessel employs 12 people, out of which only 4 need to be Greeks (including the captain), while a ship of up to 2,999-dwt currently employs 13 people, all of which are Greeks. Furthermore, typically these vessels face increased difficulties in attracting capable Greek officers, who prefer larger ocean-going vessels, cruise ships and passenger ships.

The Union has also asked for new measures towards the modernization of today's short-sea fleet and the reviewing of the legislative framework, in order to permit for short-sea companies to list their shares in the Athens Stock Exchange. Regarding the issue of fleet renewal, the Union points out that both E.U. members but also other Mediterranean countries like Turkey have followed a massive newbuilding programme with state subsidies and purchased many modern vessels, less than nine years old with capacities between 3,000 and 5,999-dwt.