SMM addresses importance of green funding

Funding and operations for green ships which can be used worldwide is a hot topic of the moment, especially since environmental regulations for the shipbuilding and shipping industry have become more stringent in recent years.

Dr Wiebers gave his presentation on The future of traditional ship funds at the SMM opening ceremony this week during which he talked about the commercial benefit of green ship technology.

He commented: “In the long run, green ships, which are mostly also very energy efficient, will be more successful in the market. So it is in the interest of a bank to work with this kind of ship project – giving particular energy efficiency and thus sustainability not only in ecological terms, but also commercially.”

KfW IPEX-Bank considers it an important task to support sustainable projects with future technologies. It says that part of the difficulty is that shipowners initially see a cost implication when it comes to green projects, for example when they have to retrofit their existing fleet with environmental protection equipment such as ballast water management systems, and not capital expenditure which will “give a pay-back”.