Greek shipowners have built 1,300 ships in China over the last years and “it is now clear that the Greek-owned fleet (5,500 ships) together with the Chinese correspond to 45% of the world’s cargo carrying capacity,” the managing director of naftemporiki.gr said in statements to Naftemporiki TV, following the successful organization of the conference “Wind in the Sails: New Opportunities for Europe and China.”
The conference, hosted by Naftemporiki and China’s public television CGTN on Thursday, brought together Greek shipowners and representatives of the Chinese shipbuilding industry.
“I think that Naftemporiki has taken this cooperation a step forward in order to further strengthen it,” he said, stressing that the conference offered the chance to Greek shipowners and Chinese representatives of the shipbuilding industry and the financial sector for direct communication.
Referring to the participation of the Chinese ambassador in Athens Xiao Juncheng, Psilos focused on the statements that he wants “to combine the blue of the Aegean with the red of China” – something he also stated in the interview on the sidelines of the conference.
“This cooperation is mutually beneficial. Greek shipowners benefited from China’s shipbuilding industry. One in two ships are now built in China, so this can continue and give another dimension to the cooperation,” he underlined.
At the conference there were also interventions on a series of issues, such as for example “green” fuels, the promotion of Piraeus as a gateway to Europe and the Chinese “One Belt One Road” initiative.
Asked to convey the impressions of the Greek shipowners who entered China first, Psilos replied: “The issue that some shipowners told us is that although the cooperation goes well, they need some compensatory benefits. In other words, the ship is being built in China, but Greek companies must also be given the opportunity to invest in the ship.”
At the same time, he mentioned that he was told that the technology developed by China is many years ahead. Therefore, “this is something that we cannot ignore.”
