V. Kikilias at the meeting with the IMO Secretary-General: “We support the IMO framework for the energy transition of shipping, but improvements are needed for its realistic implementation”
Greece’s Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy, Vassilis Kikilias, held a meeting in London with the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, in the presence of the Greek Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Yiannis Tsaousis, as part of the “London International Shipping Week”.
The Minister stressed that Greece, the country with the greatest naval tradition, which is at the same time the leading maritime power in the world, with 20% of the world fleet and the leading member of Category A of the IMO Council in terms of votes, supports the need for global measures for the energy transition of shipping, with the aim of ensuring a level playing field.
However, he stressed that in the implementation framework of the IMO Net-Zero Framework, improvements are required, as the lack of green fuels requires more realistic timetables, fair treatment of transitional fuels – such as LNG – but also smart use of the reward mechanism, in order to support the adaptation of both bulk/tramp shipping and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Mr. Kikilias stressed that he shares these concerns of the shipping industry and underlined that the IMO and its member states must focus their efforts on effectively resolving all these issues in the coming months, so that the measures expected to be implemented in 2028 are realistic and practically applicable.
