In 1975, the late Greek shipping tycoon John Latsis personally financed a fleet of dredgers to clear the Suez Canal, reopening it to traffic after eight years of closure due to conflict in the Middle East.
Five decades on, Latsis’ granddaughter, Erietta Kourkoulou Latsis, and her husband, Vyron Vasileiadis, are involved in another initiative, which the Egyptian waterway has described as key to its future.
The couple were key guests last month at a ceremony to launch Antipollution Egypt — the canal’s exclusive ship waste management service provider, financed out of a mandatory fee imposed on all vessels transiting.
Set up as a joint venture between the Vasileiadis-led V Group of Companies, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), and Greek-Egyptian entrepreneur Eric Adam, Antipollution Egypt will start operating on 14 May.
The fee sustaining it is charged to all vessels and floating units transiting the waterway, regardless of whether they use its services.
The mandatory charge ranges between $200 for small vessels between 300 and 5,000 Suez Canal Net Tonnage (SCNT) and $1,200 for large vessels over 70,000 SCNT.
In exchange, companies hiring the provider’s service can have between three and five cubic metres of solid waste removed from their vessels.
Another $70 is charged for each cubic metre of additional waste collected.
Only small vessels below 300 SCNT are exempt from the fee.
Ships that anchor at the north or south ends of the waterway without intention to cross it also avoid charges, as do those already exempt from paying transit fees.
Antipollution Egypt will receive the fee before a vessel crosses, in the same currency it has paid transit dues.
Green certificates
The Greek provider, which draws on seven decades of experience in port reception facilities, plans to employ a modern fleet of pollution control vessels to carry out the service.
SCNT is a specialised measurement used to calculate transit fees for vessels passing through the Suez Canal. Established by the International Commission of Constantinople in 1873, this system is distinct from other tonnage measurements like gross tonnage or net tonnage used elsewhere.
SCNT accounts for the ship’s cargo-carrying capacity and includes specific adjustments as defined by the Suez Canal Authority’s regulations. Each vessel must have a Suez Canal Special Tonnage Certificate, issued by recognised classification societies, detailing its SCNT. This certificate is essential for determining the tolls applicable during the canal transit.
Antipollution Egypt took delivery of the 111-gt vessel Eco Suez I (built 2024) last year. A string of other custom-made, eco-friendly vessels are set to follow — all built at Egyptian shipyards.
Antipollution Egypt uses digital systems that enable ships to track and record waste output as they cross the waterway. Good performance can help them obtain green waste performance certificates.
Such features encouraged the SCA to strike up a partnership with Vasileiadis’ V Group of Companies, as part of the waterway’s “Green Canal 2030 initiative”.
Adopted as a way to highlight the SCA’s commitment to the International Maritime Organization’s decarbonisation strategy, the “Green Canal” initiative goes beyond waste collection.
Other facets include generalising the use of hybrid systems, such as solar panels and wind turbines, to produce energy for the canal’s navigation control station.
The SCA also plans to convert the engines of its marine units to run on natural gas to reduce carbon emissions.
Again last month, the SCA launched the first two of 10 locally made tugs designed to improve its marine rescue capacities, with a pulling force of 90 tons each.
Another project is underway at the Alexandria Naval Arsenal to build the SCA’s largest tug boat with a pulling force of 190 tons, said the SCA’s chairman, Lieutenant General Osama Rabie.
There is a business rationale behind these initiatives.
The SCA carries out these projects through joint ventures, in line with its policy to, as Rabie puts it, “transform itself into a multi-activity economic entity… offering a range of maritime and logistics services”.
The Egyptian government, which owns the canal, supports such initiatives at the highest level.
The formal ceremony to launch Antipollution Egypt was led by the country’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly.
Madbouly said: “Today, Egypt demonstrates its environmental leadership by launching a service powered by Egyptian expertise and sustainable innovation.”
Vasileiadis used equally passionate language.
The Greek entrepreneur added: “With deep emotion and unwavering commitment, we pledge to support the Suez Canal’s transformation into a global symbol of sustainable maritime excellence.
“Our vision is clear: zero-emission services and a greener future for shipping.”
