Greek Police Seize 161 Kilos of Cocaine Hidden in Banana Containers
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.
Two Binding Bids for Greek Port
Greece received two binding bids for a majority stake in its northern port of Alexandroupolis, the country's privatizations agency HRADF said.The bidders for a 67% stake in the port were Quintana Infrastructure and Development through Liberty Port Holdings Single Member, and International Port Investments Alexandroupolis, a joint venture of Black Summit Financial Group, Euroports, EFA Group and GEK Terna, the agency said in a statement.The deadline for the bids expired earlier on Thursday.
Keppel Offshore & Marine Reels in $186M in New Contracts
Singapore's Keppel Offshore & Marine said Wednesday it had secured contracts worth around S$250 million (~$186 million) for the conversion of a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), integration of a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, and the "jumboisation" of two Trailing Suction Hopper Dredgers (TSHD).For the first contract, Keppel Shipyard has received the Final Notice to Proceed (FNTP) from GAS-fifteen Ltd, a GasLog Carriers subsidiary, for the conversion of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Carrier into an FSRU.
Greece Gets Strong Interest for Igoumenitsa Port
Greece on Friday received nine non-binding bids for a 67% stake in Igoumenitsa port, its privatization agency said on Friday.Bids were submitted by Aegean Oil, Attica Holdings and a consortium of Archirodon Group and ANEK & Trident Hellas Group.The other bidders were a consortium of Grimaldi Euromed and Minoan Lines, Danthia Shipping, MRG Ltd, Portek International, Quintana Infrastructure and Thessaloniki Port Authority , the agency said.The deadline for bidding expired at 1500 GMT on Friday.Greece embarked on an ambitious privatization plan in 2010, at the start of a decade-long financial cri
U.S., Greece Call for Peaceful Resolution of East-Med Maritime Disputes
The United States and Greece called on Monday for a peaceful resolution of maritime disputes in the east Mediterranean as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began a two-day trip to Greece amid increased regional tension over energy resources.NATO allies Greece and Turkey, at loggerheads on a range of issues, have agreed to resume exploratory talks over contested maritime claims following weeks of tensions that culminated in a collision between their warships."The United States and Greece ..
Bulgargaz to Book Capacity at Greek LNG Terminal
Bulgaria's state-owned gas company Bulgargaz will reserve 500 million cubic gas annually for 10 years at the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal now being built in northern Greece, the government said on Tuesday.Greek natural gas company Gastrade, which handles the project near the city of Alexandoupolis, has extended the deadline for companies to file binding bids to reserve capacity to March 20.The LNG terminal, in which Bulgaria will have a 20% stake, seeks to supply gas to southeast Europe via a natural gas pipeline that will cross through Greece…
Hill International to Develop Thessaloniki Port
A consortium led by Hill International has won a contract from Thessaloniki Port Authority (THPA) in Greece to support major expansion works at Thessaloniki port.Hill International, a player in managing construction risk, announced that it has signed an agreement with THPA as leader of a consortium including Rogan Associates SA, to provide design and project management services for the planned expansion of the marine works infrastructure of Pier 6.The Port of Thessaloniki is the most important port of Northern Greece and a key transportation hub for Southeast Europe as a part of the Core Network of the Trans-European Transport Network.It occupies a total area of approximately 1.5 million square meters and hosts a variety of activities…
Hellenic Petroleum Profits Rise on Higher Exports
Hellenic Petroleum, Greece's biggest oil refiner, posted a 20 percent rise in second-quarter core profit on Thursday, with higher exports offseting lower refining margins. The company, which exports diesel and gasoline to markets in the southeastern Mediterranean and the Balkans, saw refining margins fall as much as 35 percent from $7.3 per barrel and a marginal decline of demand in the domestic market, it said. Exports of diesel and gas doubled to a record high of 2.300 metric tonnes, which contributed to 60 percent of total sales, the company said in a statement. Total sales stood at 4,006 metric tonnes from 2,950 metric tonnes in the second quarter of 2015.
Bulgaria, Greece to Consider Greek LNG terminal
Bulgarian state energy holding company BEH and Greek natural gas company Gastrade have set up a joint task force to prepare a proposal to build an off-shore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in northern Greece, Gastrade said on Tuesday. Greece currently has one LNG terminal on an islet off Athens and Gastrade, part of Greek energy group Copelouzos, is planning a second LNG terminal near the northern city of Alexandroupolis. The task force will prepare and submit a proposal to the Bulgarian government for the best possible way to take part in the project, Gastrade said in a statement. The facility, with an estimated annual capacity of 6.1 billion cubic metres (bcm)…
Greece Formally Approves Cosco's Bid for Piraeus Port
The Greek privatization fund TAIPED formally accepted the binding bid submitted by Cosco Pacific for the majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority (OLP), while the port company’s stock posted a significant increase on the Athens bourse in response to the Council of State’s rejection of various objections to OLP’s privatization. The renewed and better offer by Cosco for the 67% of OLP has reached 368.5 million euros. TAIPED announced that the sell-off agreement will now be forwarded for approval to the State Audit Council, after which the contract for the sale of the 67 percent stake in OLP to the Hong Kong-listed company will be signed.
Greek-US Plan for an LNG Terminal
Greece and the US are likely to reveal a joint venture to develop a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal when US Secretary of State John Kerry makes an official visit to Athens in November. According to a local news report in eKathimerini, Kerry dropped a hint about the plan during his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in the United States at the end of September, referring to the prospect of northern Greece evolving into an energy hub with the construction of an LNG terminal. This is based on the utilization of the licensed plan (since 2011) for the installation of an LNG terminal at Alexandroupoli by Gastrade (controlled by the Copelouzos Group), which is on the list of the European Commission’s priority projects.
Greek Union Rallies Disrupt Shipping Routes
Public transport in Greece will grind to a halt on Tuesday for the second time in less than a week following calls from Greek union leaders for a strong May Day turnout against government plans for pension changes. Public transport workers have scheduled stoppages throughout the day. Flights and shipping will also be seriously disrupted. A mass walkout last Thursday crippled much of the country, despite a last minute decision by the government to freeze its controversial pension reform plans. The Panhellenic Seamen's Organization said its members would strike from 6 a.m. until midnight, keeping all ships in port. Two routes between northern Greece and northeast Greece and two between the main port city of Piraeus and Kalamata, at the tip of the Peloponnese peninsula, will also run.
