Ten lesser ports around Greece will not be privatized through the sale of a major stake of their shares to a strategic investor – as was done for the Piraeus Port Authority and is underway for Thessaloniki – but instead the government will grant concessions for specific port activities.
The general secretary for ports at the relevant shipping and island policy ministry, Christos Lambridis, clarified the position on Monday, in statements to a pro-government radio station.
Shares of the 10 port authorities – Alexandroupolis, Kavala, Corfu, Igoumenitsa, Patras, Irakleio (Crete), Volos, Rafina, Lavrio and Elefsina – have nevertheless been transferred to Greece’s privatization fund (HRADF) for possible exploitation.
Port privatizations are a particularly sensitive issue for the current coalition government, given that leftist and anti-bailout SYRIZA party was a staunch opponent of any retreat of the state’s role in the sector – or anywhere else the state featured a presence in the recession-battered Greek economy – prior to assuming power in January 2015. However, after signing the third memorandum in August 2015 the current government has often been at odds with its grassroots supporters and its ideological lineage.
The prospect of the privatization of the extreme northeast port of Alexandroupolis some six months generated heated reactions within the ruling party, coming on the heels of the Piraeus Port Authority’s purchase and assumption of its management by Chinese multinational Cosco.
“We’re not proceeding with sell offs, but only with concessionary activities,” the ministry official said.
