Symi News

Placards in hand, travel agent Iakovos Bouchoris and his team scout for customers at Greece's busy Piraeus port, near Athens, where some 5,000 people arrived on Tuesday in a single day on ships from outlying islands close to Turkey. Instead of the usual groups of German, Italian and Korean tourists, the tour operators were waiting for Syrian refugees; and rather than touring the ancient ruins of the Greek capital, they were heading north to the Greek-Macedonian border. Greece's peak holiday season may have ended in August, but for many travel agents, business is booming in October. "We've been filling 20 to 25 buses a day, about 1,250 people a day," Bouchoris said, recalling a peak in early September.

The Greek coast guard has detained the cargo ship 'Nour M', sailing under the flag of Sierra Leone from Ukraine and carrying a large quantity of arms and explosives without proper documents, reports the Ukraine News Agency, citing Greek media sources. Citing data from ANA, the Athens state news agency, the report adds that the ship was intercepted near the Greek island of Symi. The captain stated that the destination was the Turkish port of Iskenderun, but at the same time, there are reports that some of the load might have been intended for delivery to the ports of Tartus (Syria) and Tripoli (Libya). According to ANA, the captain, a Turkish citizen, and seven crew members were arrested. Source: Ukraine News Agency

Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc announce that it has taken delivery of the Symi, a 6,270 dwt double-hull bunkering tanker newbuild from Qingdao Hyundai Shipyard in China. The Symi, which is expected to be deployed to the Company's market in West Africa, represents the final vessel under Aegean's plan to take delivery of 31 double-hull bunkering tanker newbuildings. E. Nikolas Tavlarios, President, commented, "We are pleased to take delivery of the Symi and complete our fully funded newbuild program, a major milestone for our Company.