Atlas Maritime owner Leon Patitsas expects his aframax crude carrier newbuildings to be a boon for his company for years to come.
"Fossil fuels will be used for at least another 30 years," he told TradeWinds, echoing other Greek shipowners who have cautioned regulators not to run ahead of themselves, as zero-carbon fuels are still far from being commercially mature enough to serve the world's oceangoing fleet.
"People thought they could transition to renewables much faster. Well, transition will take much longer and we think there will be a life for both LNG and oil, in more environmentally friendly ways."
According to the owner, recent electricity shortages in China and Europe are proving that fossil fuels will be needed in the foreseeable future.
Patitsas believes that vessels built to comply with the latest set of regulations kicking in in 2023 will be very attractive to charterers and "could be a blessing" for his company.
Fancy a ride to the shipyard?
The ships Atlas has recently ordered "have all the bells and whistles somebody would expect", he said, citing their dual fuel-ready notation for LNG propulsion, specifications built to the International Maritime Organisation's Tier III NOx emission standards, the Energy Efficiency Design Index Phase 2 and latest MAN dual fuel-ready diesel C10.5 super-eco engine.
He expects zero-carbon technology to have matured by the time his three young children have grown: "Maybe their generation will be transporting green hydrogen."
Patitsas is already trying to awake in them the passion he felt for the industry when he was growing up with his maternal grandfather Leon Lemos and his mother Marigo Lemos, who is still Atlas' chairwoman.
"I want to take the kids on board at the ships' naming ceremony, like my grandfather did back in 1986 when he was building ships at Hyundai," he said.
Hailing from the maritime cradle of Oinousses, the family's modern shipping history harks back to 1905, when Patitsas' great-grandfather, founder Christos M Lemos, became a captain and then a partner in a joint venture of the Hadjipateras, Pateras and Lyras families.
"We are building a legacy for the next generation. We are proud of what we have achieved and we're here for the long-term," Patitsas said.
