Yiannis Kourkoulis, Head of the Greek Office and Vice-President of Best Oasis, a leading company for Vessel Recycling:
“The most pleasant moment for a ship owner is when they build their first or every ship! They go to the shipyard, set it into the sea, christen it, break the champagne bottle on the bow of the vessel and created all those happy snapshots with photos, hopes, expectations and dreams! As if a new child is born! Many times the ship takes the name of a child of the ship-owning company.
With the passage of time and countless sea voyages and very likely the change of ship owner, we reach the point where a ship is not suitable or is not profitable to continue chartering. So comes its end, the crucial day of disposal, recycling or selling it for scrap.
But there comes a time when there are no joyful moments or photos, because a ship reaches the end of an era. International regulations on vessel recycling to protect the environment that go hand in hand with green growth must be respected.”
This is what the top expert on the issue of ship recycling, Yiannis Kourkoulis, head of the Greek office and vice president of the leading company for the recycling of ships “Best Oasis”, tells listeners at the beginning of our intriguing conversation. He is also a member of HSA (Hellenic Shipbrokers Association).
Curated and presented by Antonis Karagiannakis
