Euronav chief executive Hugo De Stoop has gone on the attack as he looks to force through a merger with John Fredriksen’s Frontline.

In an interview with La Libre Belgique, the Belgian tanker company’s boss said if shareholders accept an alternative green shipping plan proposed by the largest shareholder CMB, they “will have to say goodbye to dividends”.

Saverys family-controlled shipowner CMB, led by chief executive Alexander Saverys, wants to bring Euronav together with its shipping decarbonisation company, CMB.Tech.