Regarding recent news reporting a number of Greek owners blaming eco-design as just a sales gimmick by shipbuilders, an analysis is that it would be just a 'resistance against rapid market change'.
Shipbuilding and shipping market analyst Lee Sok-Je said on June 7, "It is just simple why shipowners complain about eco-design vessels. That is because they had not count eco-friendly option when ordering newbuildings. Already three years have passed since oil price soared, however, some Greek owners have ordered old-design ships until today, holding onto past habits."
And Lee pointed out, "They do not acknowledge their mistake but only cover it."
Also, he emphasized that some Greek owners' claim that low-price second-hand vessel is far attractive to eco ship newbuilding is a 'lie'. How differently calculated, there's nothing attractive in cheap second hand vessel.
Considering 5-10 times higher fuel costs than newbuilding price, ten-year ship consuming 20% more fuel than newbuilding, option for fuel efficiency included in newbuilding improves fuel efficiency by 10-20% and pro-eco ship policies from US and Europe, etc., second-hand vessels have nowhere to go.
Lee stressed out, "We can easily see which owners are against eco ship through their owned ships and they will 100% possibly to vanish from the market."
He added that shipbuilders would be able to tell long-term partner shipowners, who is capable of reading the market change from old-fashioned prospective losers."