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Το ενδιαφέρον του ομίλου Grimaldi για επενδύσεις στην ελληνική ακτοπλοΐα, αλλά και σε τρία ελληνικά λιμάνια επαναβεβαίωσε ο ισχυρός άνδρας του Ιταλικού Ομίλου, μητρικού των Μινωικών Γραμμών κ. Emanuele Grimaldi.

Μιλώντας σε συνέντευξη τύπου στο πλαίσιο του 23ου Euromed Convention From Land to Sea που διοργάνωσε ο όμιλος, την Παρασκευή 4 Οκτωβρίου, στη Σικελία, ο κ. Grimaldi αναφέρθηκε στο ενδιαφέρον του ομίλου του να επενδύσει σε συστήματα Logistics στο λιμάνι του Ηρακλείου που, όπως ανέφερε, διακινεί σχεδόν ένα εκατ. επιβάτες με τα πλοία της Minoan Lines (100% συμφερόντων του) και εκατοντάδες χιλιάδες φορτηγά αλλά και σε αυτά των Πατρών και της Ηγουμενίτσας. Μάλιστα αποκάλυψε ότι συναντήθηκε και με τον Υπουργό Ναυτιλίας Γιάννη Πλακιωτάκη τον οποίο χαρακτήρισε ικανό πολιτικό ο οποίος «είναι από την Κρήτη και γνωρίζει πολύ καλά τι είναι καλό για το νησί».
Για την ακτοπλοΐα ανέφερε ότι οι Μινωικές Γραμμές είναι έτοιμες να αξιοποιήσουν κάθε ευκαιρία ανάπτυξης εμφανισθεί αλλά αναρωτήθηκε αν η ενδεχόμενη πώληση του Ομίλου Attica group ή της ΑΝΕΚ είναι ευκαιρία. Επίσης αναρωτήθηκε αν είναι προς πώληση σε πλοιοκτήτες η funds.

Νωρίτερα το πρωί μιλώντας στην έναρξη του συνέδριου ο κ. Grimaldi αναφέρθηκε στην στρατηγική του ομίλου για το άμεσο και απώτερο μέλλον και τον στόχο του να γίνει ένα «πράσινος» ναυτιλιακός όμιλος

Διαβάστε στη συνέχεια την ομιλία του κ. Grimaldi

23rd Euro-Med Convention From Land to Sea
RG Naxos Hotel, Giardini Naxos, 4th October 2019
Emanuele Grimaldi
Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished Guests, good morning and welcome to the 23rd Euromed Convention From Land to Sea.
I would like to thank all the guests intervening in these two panels for being with us today.
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We have a longstanding tradition in Grimaldi Euromed Convention. Since the first time we met 22 years ago, at this point in time we witness about what we have done in the Group since the previous Euromed Convention. With an eagle eye view, IT HAS BEEN A YEAR OF ENVIRONMENTAL WORK FOR OUR GROUP. Quite legitime environmental concerns worldwide are now clearly dictating a green agenda to maritime business. Responsible shipowners must do their homework and respond. All players in the maritime field will have to cope with the new IMO <0,5% Sulphur emission limits since January 2020, and will have to prepare to cut carbon emission significantly in the next years. IMO, ICS and other international formal and informal bodies where shipowners and maritime stakeholder meet up, are all studying and deciding ways to concretely, singularly and collectively contribute to such ambitious and historical goal.
Responsible and farsighted Shipowners must do their homework and deliver, both cutting consumption and switching to cleaner fuels. Grimaldi actively participates and contributes to such forefront international discussions. We built up a significant knowhow in the field, developed R&D in our Energy Saving department. We also adhered to Clean Alliance 2020, to SAILS voluntary scheme, to several European and universitarian study groups, whilst contributing to pilot projects on hydrogen and electrical engines. When it comes to our environmental performance, we set short\medium term targets and a long term goal.
On longer term, we have a dream. The dream is the zero emission navigation, carrying goods with no negative impact on the planet. This is what people are asking us. Zero emission is something that must, and can be achieved. It still requires some consistent studies, though. A toolbox is anyhow start emerging from research, featuring a mix of batteries, hydrogen, ammonia, and fuel cell engines. Whilst contributing to long term studies, on Short and Medium term we targeted significant switches to cleaner fuels. As from January 2020 all ships in the world having bunker as a fuel, including ours, will have cleaner marine diesel as default bunker.
This alone will cut by at least 7 times sulphur emissions from ships. In addition to that, we are performing significant reductions in consumption and emissions, wherever it is possible. On this aim, we systematically look after speed and trim optimization, hull and bulb shaping, rebladings, Promas Lite, air lubrication system, silicon paintings and other hydrodinamic measures, and we implemented them on almost all our ships to meet the goal. 8 ships were lengthened as well in an effort to decrease the consumption per ton transported, and environmental efficiency as a consequence. We set ready also to be forefront runner on some green technology.
Most concretely - Grimaldi Group studied, worked out and patented a zero emission in port vessel concept, which was first applied on 2 Cruise lengthened in the Med. We mounted on them large ship battery packs, with a power installed of 5,5 MW/h, making out of them the first and biggest hybrid vessels in the world. The concept has being then enriched with solar panel, LED lightening, and other measure which will help to apply it to our several newbuilding projects. - But the most remarkable results in cutting sharply polluting emissions in our fleet has being delivered by our Grimaldi Group through our Clean air investment programme. The target of such plan is the almost total abatement of SOx and particulate emission of our fleet. The plan consists first of all in ordering 29 newbuilding which all include exaust cleaning system onboard. 10 of those ships where already delivered whilst 19 will be released by the yard in the next 3 years. - The Clean air investment plan is applying also to the majority of our existing fleet. Not less than 75 vessels in service, for a total of 162 engines, have been called to rotate and stop in yard to retrofit and mount exhaust gas cleaning systems onboard.
Half of those vessels have already been retrofitted, whilst the other half will be done within a couple of year time. - The Clean air investment programme can also be a breakthrough for further Clean sea action. Concretely , our Group proposed for the first time in the history of shipping to use them as filter for sea water as well, filtering not only the air emissions, but also microplastic and/or heavy metals at sea, delivering a good and unsubstitutable service to the marine environment and to the coastal and international communities. In the last ten years the group environmental records have gone improving consistently. Only in the last two years it has been transporting 17% more cargo, consuming 2% less fuel per mile sailed, and emitting less gases per cargo and mile, in particular dozens of time less sulphur and particulate.
ALL IN ALL, WE HAVE HEALTHY AMBITIONS AND WE FEEL LIKE CARRYING THE FUTURE ONBOARD. THIS IS CLEARLY REFLECTED BY OUR LARGE NEWBUILDINGS PROGRAMME.
Grimaldi Group is eagerly waiting the delivery of 5 additional mega-carcarrier by the Yangfan yards, whilst
In addition, last year we 12 GG5G from Jinling yards. They will feature air lubrication system, hydrodynamic hull and propeller, solar panels and LED lightening, battery packs, all designed for a more efficient navigation and a Zero Emission in port concept. They will be the most environmental friendly roro in the world.
Furthermore, we are now ordering 2 Superstar with high ice class, a number energy saving and emission abating systems, and the biggest battery pack ever mounted on a ship • Finally, we are designing a Supercruise ship for the Med, with zero emission in port, air bubble hydrodynamics, half consumption and double capacity, plug in and internal battery recharge.
WE CONFIRM TO HAVE THE FINANCIAL STRENGHT TO PURSUE AND COMPLETE SUCH PREPARATION
-Turnover in 2019 was stable, operative results of the Group have been positive and in line with previous years,
- Since the crisis started in 2008, we took note of the fact that banks can lend less money to companies, so we organized and systematically reinvested all profit in the Group. In the past decade we have increased our capital by more than 2bln€ whilst reducing considerably our debt.
-Group remains focalized on logistics, which is the core of the Group activities. There is a distinct possibility that we will significantly grow in such sector both organically and through mergers and acquisitions.
-Rating companies usually highly appreciate risk diversification of companies. Grimaldi Group developed a significant multidimensional risk diversification: we call the Baltic, the North Sea, the Mediterranean, as well as South Athlantic, North Athlantic and West Africa. We serve both passengers and cargo, and within the latter we serve several types of unitized cargo. We transport new cars and used cars, lorries and trailers. We carry forest industry products from paper to board and wood.
We also accept pallets, containers, rolltrailers, semibulk cargo as well as high and heavy cargoes and special transports. We can count also on a wide diversification asset classes from ships to offices, from privately owned port to city buildings. Finally, we manage the business in different countries and through different daughter companies in land based logistic, in terminal operations, in agency as well as we control 5 shipping brands.  This gives us good resilience and stability across the years and local crisis.
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Coming to the divisions of our Group, In EUROMED business had to cope with the first contraction in car sector in several year and with an extremely competitive environment in the Westmed shortsea. But competition is always healthy and improves ways of working, so: - in the car carrier we recently introduced the Grande Torino and will introduce Grande Mirafiori in few weeks, strengthening the US and Mexico rotations, - as far as Sardinia is concerned:
-we added dedicated tonnage and opened up two new lines.
-cargo market share grew in one year from 35% to 57%. Now we are leaders
- Pax increased by 110k in one year
- In Sicily, we remain highly committed to clients and traffics, and we aim at consolidating our leadership both in Eastern and Western part of the region. We look forward to employ some of our admiral ships on the Sicilian Island and in Malta.
- Turning to Spanish market: The large investment in the lengthening of the Cruise Roma and Cruise Barcelona witnesses our commitment to this traffic. They were the biggest ropax in the Med, now they are even more. With the future deployment of the GG5G we will go even bigger on this trade lane.
All in all, during 2018 on Med short sea lines we experienced a passenger volume growth of 12% and a cargo volume growth of 4%, and in first half of 2019 another respective growth of 7% and of 8%.
In DEEPSEA we went through a good year, with the introduction of an additional ConRo and an increased frequency on America-WAF and Mediterranean-WAF connections.
- This year we suffered fire and drug events onboard our ships. These have recently occurred also to many of our colleague shipowners. World shipping community shall strengthen the fire prevention rules at shippers end, introduce a penal sanctionatory framework for dangerous cargo misdeclaration, make container stuffing conformity declarations compulsory. Shipping association and civil society shall also ask to increase custom and police control so to combat and prevent any illegal drug trafficking onboard ships.
- Whilst we hope a collective action take place and awareness raise at macrolevel, at microlevel Grimaldi Group, although not being in charge of custom controls, has increased its already strong cooperation with custom authorities and polices, has invested in additional scanners, has developed even stricter fire prevention procedures, has created a Safety and Security Office staffed with expert international Senior Militaries and Police Officers with experience in contrast of crime and narcotraffic.
Turning back to Deepsea traffic, despite the high volatility and uncertainty on the US bound international trade, on North Atlantic the lines managed by ACL reduced considerably their losses and reached the breakeven. ACL management is confident that the positive conjuncture will continue and the company will be back in black during 2020. The company has a full set of new mega-ships to rely on and grow.
FINNLINES : confirmed its good phase since the introduction of sulphur limits in 2015.
- After investing in exhaust gas cleaning systems, in reblading, in lenghtenings, in land logistic efficiency, in passenger interiors, in newbuildings, it improved its economic and environmental results all over the last ten years, employing less ships, larger in size, and saving abt 30% in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
- Both Tons and passengers transported grew year-on-year in 2018
- We are in line to achieve another good result, despite we cope with a weak macroeconomical scenario in Northern Europe.
- We have two newbuilding programmes running.
MINOAN: has been the first Greek company to invest in exhaust gas cleaning systems. It has zero debt, liquidity, property buildings and tangible assets to face future calmly, whatever it may bring, and it remains ready to pick opportunities may arise in the sparkly Greek ferry market. Results are not yet satisfactory, though.
All in all, result of the Group has been satisfactory and even a bit better than in previous year.
***
I would like to thank all the 16,000 people working in our Group, no one excluded, for contributing to the run of our ordinary business. I would like especially to thank seamen who are exposed every day to the tiresome work onboard the ship. Heavy machinery, tough weather condition, long trajects ahead, distance from beloved family make their life not an easy one, despite the effort of the Group in providing all safety, security and welfare presidia onboard. A special thank goes also to agents, who fight for cargo in good times and in bad times, and of course to all clients, big, little and middle sized ones. Prizes and Awards are welcome to us, but what we appreciate most is the choice you make of our services every day. Finally, I would like to thank port authorities, governmental structures and public institutions, sectorial associations and journalists for endorsing the development of our Group closely. The flourishing of a company spills over to the surrounding society in many ways, from job creation to corporate social investments, from technological development to increasing of sectorial know-how. Numbers show that Grimaldi Group is returning significant part of its income specifically to the countries that are home to its traffics, from Italy to Finland, from Greece to UK and other continents states. There is a circularity among functioning of logistic companies and wealth of countries, but all this is only possible where there is public recognition and respect for the economic operators, which you are providing to us. Thank you,