Maersk Tankers and Greek shipowners do not come across as the most natural of partners, but growing regulatory pressures and tough markets are prompting an unlikely partnership.
This year has seen several Athens-based owners entering tonnage into the Danish manager's pool which covers everything from intermediate tankers all the way up to LR2s.
"Greece is among the world's largest shipowning nations, and approximately 30% of the world’s tanker fleet is owned by Greek shipping companies," Maersk Tankers’ chief commercial officer Eva Birgitte Bisgaard told TradeWinds.
Some of the most recent Greek shipowners to place tonnage in a Maersk Tankers pool are Tsakos Group and Velos Tankers. The latter has entered its 47,000-dwt Velos Fortune (built 2007) in October 2021.
"With Velos Tankers as one of our newest partners, the number of pool partners from Greece has jumped from two at the start of the year to seven today. We are now managing a total of 19 vessels owned by Greek shipowners," the tanker manager said.
Another Greek shipowner who has boosted ties with Maersk Tankers is Chartworld Shipping, which recently put a second ship — the LR2 newbuilding Perseus Star (built 2021) — under Maersk Tanker's management.
"We have had Greek shipowners in our pools prior to this, but we really saw the interest spark at the beginning of the year, and we have been very focused towards the Greek market and also saying ok what is it really that is picking up here?" said Bisgaard.
"What we experienced, is that the Greek shipowners are picking up on the same things that our other partners are picking up on right now.
"And it is very much the increased complexity that is building up in the industry whether it be the regulatory perspective, the emissions agenda or the whole uncertainty about what the future fuels are going to be," she said.
Being able to navigate that complexity can be really difficult, even if you are a big owner, Bisgaard said.
"I think having the security of a pool where we are actually able to gather the competencies together and also share what we know because we are engaged in so many forums like the Getting to Zero Coalition is something they are really picking up on.
"At the same time, with the tough markets that tanker owners are facing right now, pools do really provide a safety net.
"And those two things — the complexity of the industry and the tough markets — have just struck the right chord and we have really been able to get into a dialogue with a lot of the Greek shipowners."
The addition of the Greek-owned ships has helped expand the number of vessels in the various Maersk Tankers pools to approximately 220 ships over the last three years.
"Since 2018, we have grown by more than 40% in vessels under management and we look forward to continuing this trajectory together with new and existing partners," Bisgaard said.
But despite the influx of Greek shipowners, Bisgaard said the company is not just looking for owners from particular nations to join.
"What we are really looking for are partners to join no matter where they are from," she told TradeWinds.
"With a growing number of vessels we manage, we can deploy our pioneering solutions at scale, address our partners' needs and achieve a far-reaching impact," she added.
