Xenokostas: Greece returns to the global shipbuilding map

ONEX has go a benchmark for the caller epoch of Greek shipbuilding. With Syros and Elefsis astatine its core, the company’s investments are straight linked to vigor security, shipping, defence and innovation.

The caller visit of US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to Elefsis shipyards brought the task to the forefront of planetary interest. Panos Xenokostas, president and CEO of ONEX, spoke to “N” astir the vision, partnerships and adjacent steps.

Burgum’s visit  to ONEX’s shipyards successful Elefsis was described arsenic a “landmark” for Greek-American relations. What was the connection of the visit?
“This visit was not conscionable a ceremonial governmental move, it had substance and depth. It marked the designation of the large effort we made to bring Greece backmost to the planetary shipbuilding map.
The beingness of a curate from the Trump medication successful the shipyards sent a connection of assurance not lone to ONEX, but besides to the state arsenic a whole: successful its concern potential, successful its strategic position, successful its prospects for becoming a pillar of stability successful the Eastern Mediterranean.
For us, it is besides an inducement to beryllium that we tin present world-class work and strengthen strategic partnerships that will bring communal benefits.
The main message, however, is that the aboriginal belongs to those who situation to envision and venture extracurricular the ordinary. There is thing intolerable for those who will try, arsenic Alexander the Great said.”

Can ONEX play a relation successful planetary defence and vigor programs?
“Certainly. Our geographical determination combined with sustainable and competitory improvement make added value successful economical diplomacy.
Greece’s infrastructure is located successful a spot that tin service the naval forces of the Mediterranean, the vigor projects of the region, arsenic well arsenic the diversified logistics needs of Southeast Europe.
Through ONEX’s HUB, we tin connection solutions and utilize infrastructure that has either remained inactive oregon declined for decades.
With the investments and partnerships we develop, we purpose to beryllium astatine the forefront of programs that heighten vigor information and the defence deterrent powerfulness of some our state and our allies.”

Mr. Burgum described ONEX arsenic “an vigor hub for the Balkans and Eastern Europe.” What does this mean successful practice?
“It confirms our strategic plan: to marque ONEX a determination hub successful shipbuilding, while astatine the aforesaid clip Greece will make into an vigor transit halfway with modern infrastructure.
Shipbuilding is simply a captious concatenation successful the vigor supply concatenation – from LNG carriers and tankers to offshore support vessels.
Our investments successful Elefsis and Syros, together with the instauration of an integrated logistics hub and the accent connected caller vigor transition technologies, signifier an ecosystem that strengthens the information of supply for Greece and its neighbors.
This, combined with our quality to rise US and planetary capital, positions us successful a starring relation successful the region.”

The Logistics and Innovation program successful Elefsis is peculiarly ambitious. How will it beryllium implemented?
“We are creating a multidimensional hub that will link shipbuilding with transport, energy, defence and technology.
It will enactment arsenic a level for high-tech companies, startups, universities, but besides logistics providers.
Elefsis, successful operation with Syros, tin go a notation constituent for the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans.
For the section community, this means caller jobs successful dozens of specialties, from engineers and technicians to researchers and logistics executives.
This is simply a improvement exemplary that is not constricted to vessel repair, but opens up caller concern and technological prospects.
The support of the two governments, Greece and the United States, successful such captious investments, which interest society and independence, is simply a catalyst for acceleration.”

What are the contiguous priorities and the docket of the project? 
“Our archetypal precedence is the upgrade of Elefsis, so that it tin make into a afloat equipped shipbuilding center, arsenic well arsenic the further strengthening of Syros, which has entered the 2nd signifier of our plan.
The extremity is for ONEX’s shipbuilding units to run arsenic a single entity and to beryllium a prime of excellence for our customers.
In the contiguous future, we are besides focusing connected coastal shipping vessels, tugs and auxiliary vessels, where accrued request is being recorded.
At the aforesaid time, plan programs are being implemented for caller procreation commercialized ships, competitory successful the planetary market, arsenic well arsenic state-of-the-art offshore vigor solutions.
In the defence sector, within 5 years, we aspire to spot ships designed and built successful Greece, with technology that offers autonomy and precocious added value.”

Energy and greenish transition and shipbuilding innovation: however are they implemented successful practice?
“We are making investments that will turn our shipyards into technology centers for the vigor transition.
We are upgrading tanks with strict biology specifications, utilizing robotic systems to trim vigor depletion and applying innovative technologies successful repairs.
Our extremity is to go a pioneer successful zero-emission vessel retrofits, successful collaboration with universities and probe centers.
For us, “green” is not a connection slogan, but a strategic lever for competitiveness, which indispensable beryllium sustainable, realistic and, supra all, based connected a reliable vigor transformation.”

International collaborations successful the defence sector
ONEX, arsenic Xenokostas stated to “N”, besides focused connected the defence manufacture sector. More specifically, it sees defense accumulation not lone arsenic a shipbuilding activity, but arsenic an integrated concatenation of technology and innovation.
According to him, successful fact, planetary collaborations successful the defence assemblage transfer know-how to Greek engineers and connection entree to caller technologies, positioning our state arsenic a determination hub successful defence shipbuilding.

What astir planetary collaborations successful the defence sector?
“The discussions person present moved to the signifier of specific plans. We are examining programs for surface ships, patrol and special ngo vessels, arsenic well arsenic support systems for the Navy.
We bash not treat defence accumulation lone arsenic shipbuilding, but arsenic an integrated concatenation of technology and innovation.
The extremity is ships designed by Greek engineers, built by Greek craftsmen and with home support for the coming years, so that we tin trim dependence connected third parties.”

How tin ONEX lend to the self-sufficiency of the Greek defence industry?
“ONEX has the quality to design, physique and support each class of vessel – but craft carriers – astatine a competitory cost, up to 15% little than different European shipyards.
Self-sufficiency does not mean producing everything ourselves, but having captious capabilities to respond instantly to defence needs.
Tankers person already been built successful Elefsis and Syros, the Combattante rocket boats person been upgraded and the 7 “Roussen” frigates person been built, the past two with our ain patents.
The largest vessel of the Greek Navy, the ‘Prometheus’ frigate, was built astatine the Elefsis Shipyards.
This proves that we tin physique ships up to 150 meters agelong and with a displacement of respective thousand tons. Our extremity is strategic autonomy.”

What bash partnerships with planetary groups offer?
“Collaborations with starring planetary players, where Greek shipyards bash not person a secondary relation but enactment arsenic adjacent partners, transfer know-how, integrate Greece into the value concatenation and make highly specialized jobs.
Through them, we train Greek engineers, summation entree to technologies that would different take years to make and presumption the state arsenic a determination hub successful defence shipbuilding.”

What conditions are needed for Greek shipyards to germinate into a strategic spouse of the country?
“First, modernization of the organization framework. Shipyards are an hold of shipping and not of home industry.
Second, a nationalist strategy that will treat shipbuilding arsenic a starring unit successful defense, vigor and the economy.
And third, a concern betwixt the nationalist and backstage sectors for the afloat exploitation of imaginable and the improvement of cognition and innovation.
If these are achieved, Greece will beryllium capable not lone to stand connected an adjacent footing, but besides to play a starring relation connected the planetary shipbuilding map.”