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Shipowners are not having to woo bankers right now. They don’t need to. If anything it’s the bankers’ turn to buy the drinks at Posidonia this year and start talking up ways to deploy capital, because shipowners are paying down loans while they can and bank loan deal flows have slowed to a trickle.
So there is limited appetite right now to engage with green finance which, for now, comes with little incentive beyond its availability in a market awash with options.
But that is a situation that is going to change much quicker than many realise and there is a strong argument that the industry should start talking about that shift sooner rather than later.
Capital has already started to become more selective around sustainability criteria and that trend is only set to continue in one direction. Ultimately, it is a trend that will change how shipping operates and arguably determine the future direction of the industry.
Discussing the implications of green finance in shipping on the podcast this week are:
Nina Ahlstrand, global head of sustainable finance DNB Markets
Anastassia Tcherneva, head of shipping clients at ABN Amro Bank
Alexander Saverys, chief executive of Euronav and CMB
Michael Parker, global industry head of shipping & logistics at Citi and chair of the Poseidon Principles