Page 33 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - MARTIOS 2023

SHIP MANAGEMENT

â What do you think are the is up to us, the shipping companies, to
prospects of Greek-owned be willing to train them and help them
shipping? What are your see how their career will develop in the
strategic goals for the Greek future if they choose a seafaring career
shipping market? or to work in the offices of shipping /ship
We don’t set targets on the number management companies.
of ships we want to run. We set tar- The third disruption is regulations. Ship-
gets related to quality and our ability ping is by far the most efficient mode
to continue managing more and more of transporting goods, and regulations
vessels in line with the level of qual- - be they on emissions or general reg-
ity our customers expect from us. We ulations - are bound to bring about
don’t always get it right - no one does. another disruption.
But we are certainly trying to ensure In my view, the fourth and final disrup-
that we provide the highest quality tion is digitalisation. So, if you have
services that our clients can get. We these four disruptions, it is evident that
have grown substantially over the last scale matters. It is hard to run compa-
five years in all segments. We are firmly nies today if you don’t have the appro-
focused on Greek shipping and would priate scale to attract the right people
not have achieved growth if we hadn’t and invest in digital capabilities and the
invested in Greek shipping. The owners ESG strategies of the future - all this
It is hard to run of the offices where V. Ships Greece is notwithstanding the current regulatory
companies today if headquartered, the Tsakos family, is one framework at a time of great geopolit-
you don’have the of the most prominent Greek shipping ical challenges. Regulations are ever
appropriate scale families. We are very honoured to be changing and increasingly complex,
to attract the using those spaces together. and companies need to be able to react C
right people and quickly to, for example, new sanctions. M
invest in digital ã Do you think that the out- You can imagine that for small and Y
capabilities sourcing of operational medium-sized companies, it is a difficult CM
and the ESG management of small and equation to solve. I foresee that out-
strategies of the medium-sized shipping com- sourcing the management of ships will MY
future-all this panies is a one-way street, grow as an alternative. Of course, many CY
notwithstanding the given the increasing require- companies think it best to do everything CMY
current regulatory ments related to environmen- themselves, and I deeply respect that. K
framework at a tal regulations? But if you look at the financial aspect of
time of great I would like to start from a different it, I predict that an increasing number
geopolitical place. I tell everyone that everything of companies will consider outsourcing.
challenges. will change in the next 10 years; the And if I put my ship owning hat on, I can
reason for this is very simple. Looking surely understand that.
at what is happening in the world today,
there are some aspects that I would ç What characteristics do you
characterise as ‘’disruptions’’. So, we think differentiate Gen Z from
have a disruption related to the whole older generations?
emissions and ESG discussion. What I see a big difference. You can take two
will be the propulsion of the future? roads. The one is that young people
What kind of supply chain will be built always have to fit in. But you can take
for the energy source that will propel the other way and say, ‘’it is us who have
our ships? How do we manage the cur- to ensure that we create an environment
rent vessel portfolio, and how can we for young people to fit in’’. I want young
ensure we comply with the CII? How people to have all the career opportu-
do we ensure that EEXI requirements nities we had when we were young. But
are met by retrofitting or building new life onboard a ship is different today.
ships? That’s a massive disruption. Cell phones have made our lives a lot
The next disruption is people. How can easier but have also done a great deal
we ensure that the next generations of damage. We are creating a young
of Greek men and women will want to generation of individualists, and I don’t
pursue a career at sea? This question think we can fight the forces of nature
concerns all major shipping nations. It or battle with technology. We need to

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