TradeWinds – Inspiring food for thought with ‘Seven Acts of Mercy’

Delegates meeting in Naples in the shadow of Caravaggio’s famous painting came up with their own merciful pleas relating to the shipping industry

23 ott 2015, by Ian Lewis (Naples)

What relevance has Caravaggio’s great painting of “The Seven Acts of Mercy” to shipping in the 21st century?

Quite a bit, according to art historian John T Spike, who likens the plight of homeless peasants depicted in the painting to the problems that shipping is facing due to the immigration crisis.

It was a message that shipping folk gathered in the 16th Century chapel of the Pio Monte della Misericordia (the Holy Mountain of Mercy) seemed to take to their hearts. While Caravaggio had in mind issues such as feeding the hungry and sheltering strangers, they used the sanctified setting in the historical centre of Naples for the annual Shipping and the Law conference to address some of their own concerns.

1) mercy to the hedge funds

Neapolitan shipowners have never shown much love towards private-equity specialists. Fabrizio Vettosi, managing director of Italy’s only shipping private-equity fund, Venice Shipping and Logistics, frequently finds himself bearing the brunt of the criticism. Yet Vettosi argues that hedge funds were not responsible for the shipping crisis — as local owners led by the Bottiglieri family have suggested (see main story, page 20). In fact, private equity only accounts for around 3% of the orderbook, says Vettosi. The truth is that the bank market has been dramatically downsized, with what money there is going to a smaller number of high-rated owners, Vettosi says. He added that private equity bet $5bn on a shipping rebound due to high expectations. The results have been disappointing, and private equity remains interested only in bullish markets like the tanker sector.

The bond market, on the other hand, raised $1.4bn for shipping in 2015 and retains substantial fund-raising potential going forward. Shipowners should take advantage of a window of opportunity that has opened up in the private debt market, which is attracting patient investors such as insurance companies and pension funds, Vettosi says.

2) Mercy for struggling

shipping companies

There is an awful lot of bad debt in the Italian shipping market, which some estimates put at $6bn. So the idea of lawyer Francesco Lauro, managing partner of Studio Legale Lauro, is to form a “White Knight” fund that would come to the rescue of distressed owners.

Money provided by prosperous owners would be used to buy time and stave off bankruptcy in return for a stake with large upside potential. However, fresh funds will only come if there is a haircut to reduce debt below the value of the assets. “Creditors want to avoid being stuck in bankruptcy proceedings — and once through the storm owners might get the company back. Investors should not risk claw-back action, so ‘White Knight’ investors should use a bullet proof Chapter 11 protection in each jurisdiction,” Lauro said.

3) Mercy for shipowners

being asked for too much by politicians

A running theme of the conference seemed to be that politicians are asking too much of shipowners or are putting obstacles in the way that need to be removed. Thomas Rehder, the president of the European Community Shipowners Association (ECSA), suggested there are plenty of areas where bureaucracy could be reduced, such as shortsea shipping where road transport is far less demanding. Policy makers set targets that are disconnected from what are achievable by the industry, he believes. Just a day earlier, the ECSA criticised a European Parliament resolution calling for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) climate deadlines of 2016 related to carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions. Similar points were raised by former ECSA president Emanuele Grimaldi, who criticised eco-groups who seek to extract cash from the industry related to ballast water regulation.

4) Mercy for shipowners

dealing with refugee crisis

Taking their cue from Caravaggio’s painting depicting the homeless, Grimaldi expressed sympathy with the waves of refugees crossing the Mediterranean from Africa.

The shipowner is in the front line of this problem but is not looking for a long-term solution involving paid compensation. That is not the answer, says Grimaldi, as it would increase the reliance on the merchant fleet as part of the solution. Instead, he says shipping should lobby for more resources to be directed towards dedicated search-and-rescue operations. Grimaldi’s words were welcomed by Mario Mattioli, managing director of Augustea Offshore, whose company is directly affected by the crisis. Mattioli cited an instance where one of his offshore support vessels (OSVs) just 77 metres in length that is serving off the coast of Libya had taken on more than 1,000 people to be transported to a Sicilian port.

5) Mercy for shipbrokers

There is simply less business to be had in Italy, noted veteran shipbroker Lorenzo Banchero.

“When I was a young shipbroker I could talk to 30 shipowners in Genoa. Nowadays, I’m calling at two,” he said. Most of the financial action is taking place in New York where you hear “very little about transport and more about capital gains”.

6) Mercy for managers

Consolidation will be a major issue in shipping in the future and that will require professional managers with technical skills — not the use of intuition as in the past, said Arturo Capasso, of the Universita degli Studi dei Sannio. His view was seconded by Vettosi, who expects a transformation of shipping from an asset-based industry to one based on knowledge and managerial skills.

7) Mercy for shipping

in the future

However, there is the chance that the shipping industry will not need it. “One thing is clear, ships will keep the light on. Nothing can prevent it. Shipping will rise from its ashes anew,” said Efthimios Mitropoulos, secretary-general emeritus of the IMO. He envisions a future characterised by bigger ships and better engines, with a 50% reduction in emissions by 2050.

Link: http://www.tradewindsnews.com/weekly/375200/inspiring-food-for-thought-with-seven-acts-of-mercy