When an owner applies low-friction paint to the hull of his ship to save on fuel, how much of the cost does the charterer bear?

At the moment, not nearly enough, argues Polys Hajioannou, the principal of US-listed Safe Bulkers.

Second-tier charterers often try to pay as little as possible to improve ships or help build better fuel-efficient ones even though they too stand to financially benefit, the Greek-Cypriot owner argued on Tuesday.