Shipping forges odd alliances to cope with carbon trading

Greek shipowners rarely see eye to eye with their northern European peers, let alone with environmental organisations.

So it came as a surprise in early April to see the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) and the Swedish Shipowners’ Association joining forces with Transport & Environment (T&E), a non-governmental organisation, on a matter of policy.

The issue that brought the unlikely bedfellows together is the European Union plan to incorporate shipping into its emissions trading system (ETS).