Port Of Piraeus News

Greece's shipping minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis has resigned following a controversy over his comments about the death last Tuesday of a 36-year-old man who had fallen into the sea after being pushed back by crew members of a ship he was trying to board.Varvitsiotis announced his resignation on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday. Video footage released on social media after the incident showed crew members appearing to argue with the man on the stern…

NAVTOR opened its 11th office with the arrival of NAVTOR Hellas. The Athens-based operation, situated at the Port of Piraeus, is an evolution of an existing, long-standing partnership with distributor Space Electronics. CEO Tor Svanes says the move demonstrates the importance of this key shipping market to his ambitious maritime technology firm.Space Electronics has represented NAVTOR in the local market for over a decade. Key offerings now include: fleet management and performance platform NavFleet…

Police in northern Greece have seized dozens of packages of cocaine stashed in containers laden with bananas that had been shipped from Latin America, they said on Saturday. Police seized two suspect containers at the port of Piraeus and, after taking them to the port of Thessaloniki, found 100 "bricks" of concealed cocaine, weighing 161 kilos. The drugs, which would have been distributed across Greece and other European countries, are estimated to be worth about 3.2 million euros, police said.

Iran has agreed to release the crews of two Greek tankers it seized in May in response to the confiscation of oil by the United States from an Iranian-flagged tanker in Greece, a Greek seafarers union said.The months-long diplomatic impasse has strained relations between Athens and Tehran as tensions grow between Iran and the United States.The crews will be replaced, allowing their return to their countries of origin soon, the PENEN union for seafarers on commercial ships said on its website on Sunday. It was not clear whether the two Greek tankers, the MT Prudent Warrior and Delta Poseidon, would be released, it said.On Monday, the Greek shipping minister confirmed that one Delta Poseidon crew member was returning to Greece."A Greek sailor from the vessel Delta Poseidon…

An Iranian-flagged tanker is reloading oil that was confiscated by the United States earlier this year after Greek authorities approved the release of the cargo, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.The case has strained relations between Athens and Tehran amid growing tensions between Iran and the United States after Washington hired a tanker in April to impound the oil onboard the Lana tanker, which had been anchored off Greece.The removal of oil from the Lana, formerly the Pegas…

Greek ferry operator Saronic Ferries has partnered with the ship design company C-Job Naval Architects, to develop the design of the first fully-electric Ro-Pax ferry in Greece.Saronic Ferries, the largest ferry operator for the Saronic islands, plans to operate a purely emissions-free fleet by 2040 to all destinations.C-Job delivered an initial design to Saronic Ferries following an extensive sustainable fuel feasibility study.The zero-emission passenger Ro-Ro ferry has a capacity of 800 passengers. The ferry will recharge in the port of Piraeus.

An Iranian-flagged tanker seized by Greece in April, part of whose cargo was confiscated by the United States, was being towed to the port of Piraeus on Saturday, Greek coast guard officials said, after Greek authorities approved its release.For over two months the Iranian-flagged Lana has been anchored off the Greek island of Evia in a diplomatic impasse which strained Athens' relations with Tehran amid growing tensions between Iran and the United States."It left Karystos at 06:30 am (0330 GMT) and is expected to reach Piraeus around 10:00 pm…

DNV and Saronic Ferries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) designed to enable the development of an electric ferry for local deployment in Greece. The collaboration is targeted toward a fully electric concept for deployment on short-sea passenger routes in the Argosaronikos area. The MoU was signed at the Posidonia 2022 trade fair."The use of all-electric or hybrid vessels in the short sea ferry segment has surged in recent years as the benefits of the technology has been demonstrated in pilots and full-scale deployments.

Greece's privatizations agency transferred shares corresponding to a 16% stake in Piraeus Port Authority to Chinese port operator COSCO Shipping after an amendment to a previous concession agreement, it said on Thursday.Last month Greek lawmakers amended a deal with COSCO allowing it to raise its stake in Greece's biggest port of Piraeus, paving the way for Greece to secure a major investment.Under a 2016 privatization deal, COSCO Shipping bought a 51% stake in Piraeus Port Authority for 280 million euros ($328 million) and committed to mandatory investments worth about 294 million euros over

Greek lawmakers on Thursday approved an amended deal with Chinese shipping group COSCO that will allow it to raise its stake in Greece’s biggest port of Piraeus, paving the way for Greece to secure a major investment.Under a 2016 Greek privatisation deal, COSCO Shipping bought a 51% stake in Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) for 280 million euros ($328 million). It then committed to mandatory investments worth about 294 million euros over five years to purchase an additional 16% stake for 88 million euros.COSCO was due to fulfil this key condition by August…

Silver Moon, Silversea Cruises' newest ship in its "ultra-luxury" fleet, was christened Thursday in Athens, Greece. The naming ceremony was held in the port of Piraeus.At 40,700 gross tons and with a maximum capacity of 596 guests, Silver Moon is the cruise line’s second Muse-class ship.Constructed by Fincantieri at its Ancona shipyard, Silver Moon is an evolution of her sister ship Silver Muse, Silversea Cruises said."The ship benefits from re-imagined public spaces, butler service in all suite categories…

A Portuguese-flagged container vessel collided with a Greek navy minehunter off the Greek port of Piraeus early on Tuesday, seriously damaging the Greek ship, authorities said.TV images showed the navy vessel Kallisto tilting on its side and sinking, and a big part of its stern was missing. A tug boat later towed it to the Salamina naval base.Two people were slightly injured and transferred to hospital, a coast guard official said, adding that the Greek navy vessel’s 27-member crew had been taken to safety.The 266-metre long container ship Maersk Launceston was not damaged.It was not immediately clear how the collision happened, the official said.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) on Monday formally agreed to provide 140 million euros (USD $154.5 million) to support expansion and upgrading of Piraeus Port, Greece's main port.The largest ever loan for port investment in the country by Europe’s long-term lending institution, will support the implementation of part of investments at the Port of Piraeus in a total investment plan of more than EUR 600 million. The 20-year loan was signed in Athens in the presence of Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Xu Lirong, Chairman of COSCO Shipping Corporation, by Andrew McDowell, European Investment Bank Vice President, the Chairman of Piraeus Port Authority S.A.

Greece's Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) announced that the "PIRAEUS I" floating dock is available again for ship repair works."PIRAEUS I floating dock has been delivered for use and is operating again after scheduled maintenance works," said an announcement from PPA.PIRAEUS I is 202 m. long, with inner width 31 meters, has lifting capacity of 15,000 tons and can serve ships with capacity of 40,000 tons.During the first nine months of 2019, the ship repair activity at the port of Piraeus is showing an increase, despite the temporary suspension of PIRAEUS I floating dock operations, as the ships in docks increased by + 11% and the ships under repair in Ship Repair Zone increased by 7.4% compared to the same period of 2018.The Management of PPA S.A.

Piraeus Port Authority S.A welcomed newly built cruise ship of Norwegian Viking Ocean Cruises' Viking Jupiter and handed an honorary plaque to the Cruise Director Mark Andrew Brignone and books for the ship's library.However, the Norwegian cruiser got into a minor accident while docking at a pier in the port.According to media reports, the cruiser with 607 passengers and 483 crew members on board was at the process of arrival when it crashed with the right side due to the stormy winds.Stormy winds were the cause of the cruise accident, since they forcibly hit the vessel’s right hull to the pier. The vessel suffered minor damages include a crack of about 10 cm.The cruise ship Viking Jupiter is 230 meters long with capacity 950 passengers…

The Greek port of Piraeus signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Italy’s port authorities from the cities of Venice and Chioggia.The agreement seeks to develop port services and promote increased trade flow between Europe, the Mediterranean and the Far East.The MoU was signed during a meeting between the chairman and CEO of Piraeus port Fu Chengqiu and the president of the Northern Adriatic Sea Port Authority (Venice and Chioggia) Pino Musolino.The MoU envisages cooperation in improving the exchange of best practices and knowhow in port management, particularly in IT, attracting investments and communications."The common target is to improve the performance of the two ports…

Capital Liberty Invest, a joint venture between Greece’s Capital Ship Management, belonging to Evangelos Marinakis, and Germany’s Liberty One, has acquired its first two high specification feeder container vessels.The vessels which will come under the technical management of Liberty Blue in Leer, Germany, said a press release from Capital Ship Management Corp.The first of the two sister ships, ‘Ibrahim Dede’ (1,878 TEU), which was renamed ‘Asterix’, has been successfully taken over on January 21 in the port of Piraeus, Greece and subsequently delivered into charter to one of the world’s leading container operators.The takeover of the second vessel, ‘Cafer Dede’, is expected at the end of the first quarter of 2018.

Three European Commission co-funded initiatives – Poseidon Med II, CYnergy and Elemed – are driving forward the uptake of alternative fuels in the Eastern Mediterranean region.Poseidon Med II: Creating a comprehensive and sustainable supply chain for LNG bunkeringThe Poseidon Med II project is a practical roadmap that aims to promote wide adoption of LNG as a safe, environmentally efficient and viable alternative fuel for shipping and help the East Mediterranean marine transportation propel towards a low carbon future.The project, which is co-funded by the European Union, involves three countries: Greece, Italy and Cyprus, six European ports (Piraeus, Patras, Lemesos, Venice, Heraklion, Igoumenitsa) as well as the Revithoussa LNG terminal.

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) congratulates Port of Rotterdam (Netherlands), Port of Le Havre (France) and Port of Piraeus (Greece) for renewing EcoPorts’ environmental management standard (PERS). Isabelle Ryckbost, ESPO’s Secretary General, Eamonn O’Reilly, ESPO’s Chairman, and Sotiris Raptis, EcoPorts coordinator, handed over the PERS certificates to the ports’ representatives during the annual ESPO Conference in Rotterdam. “I would like to congratulate the three ports for obtaining once more the environmental standard of EcoPorts (PERS). PERS certification is rewarding years of day-to-day engagement towards improving environmental management.

European Union and Italian authorities are investigating suspected wide-scale tax fraud by Chinese criminal gangs importing goods via Greece’s largest port of Piraeus, a trade gateway between China and Europe, officials said.“The VAT is completely evaded, with enormous damage to the national tax authorities and to the community,” Fabio Botto, of the Italian Central Anti-fraud Office’s special investigative unit, said in an interview.He said the suspected scam at Piraeus, part of China’s vast Belt and Road infrastructure project…

The Piraeus Port Authority S.A. (PPA) 2017 financial report revealed profits before tax amounted to €21.2 million ($26.19 mln) compared to €11.0 million ($13.59 mln) in the year 2016, showing an increase of 92 percent. Turnover amounted to €111.5 million compared to €103.5 million in the corresponding period of 2016, showing an increase of 7.7 percent. The operations at the container terminal showed significant increase in revenue by € 7million (53.1 percent), where container throughput increased by 70.6 percent, meaning 453.264 TEU compared to 265.716 TEU in 2016, while the income from the concession fee of the Pier II and Pier III increased approximately by €3.4 million (8.4 percent).

The Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) has presented its proposals for the master plan for the development of Greece's largest port of Piraeus under “Master Plan of the Port of Piraeus". The compilation of the Master Plan for the development and operation of the Piraeus Port was made according to:  (i) all the Laws and regulations of general implementation, together with all the existing applicable regulatory rules, (ii) the methodology and specifications quoted in the “Specifications of Master Plan” document, (iii) regulations and guidelines for the establishment of Program Design as listed in ANNEX 6.2 of the Concession Agreement 2016. The…

Product tanker Agia Zoni II reported water ingress, sinking, in the early hours of Sunday  in Saronikos Gulf, south of Athens at anchorage west of Piraeus, with some 2500 tons of fuel on board, and two crew. The local media reports that Aghia Zoni II took on water while it was anchored and sank at 2.45 a.m., after sailing from the Aspropyrgos distilleries in the early hours of Saturday carrying 2,200 metric tons of fuel oil and 370 metric tons of marine gas oil. It is not yet known what caused the sinking. According to eKathimerini, its crew of two were rescued by a nearby ship and taken to shore, where doctors at Piraeus’s Tzaneio Hospital gave them the all-clear.