Shipping: The ship occupancy rate reached 100% for the Aegean islands

The port of Piraeus is a leading player in coastal shipping this tourist season. On the occasion of the visit of the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Christos Stylianidis, to the 1st Port Department (Akti Tzelepi) of the Central Port Authority of Piraeus, statistics were given.

In the period from 01.07 – 30.07 2024 in absolute numbers, the number of passengers passing through the Central Port of Piraeus has reached 1,400,000, of which 400,000 from the Argosaronikos area and 1,000,000 from the rest of the port to the islands of the Aegean and Crete.

At the same time, the occupancy rate of ferries is approaching 85-90%, with destinations such as the Eastern and Central Aegean reaching 100%.

Compared to the corresponding period in 2023, the following can be observed:

– An increase in the percentage of ship arrivals and departures, which for the Argosaronic region reaches 16%, while for the rest of the port it reaches 9%.

16% – 16% of the total number of vessels in the area, while the percentage of the total number of vessels in the area is 9%.
– In the whole of the Central Port of Piraeus, the increase in the percentage is close to 13%.

Meanwhile, the Minister, Christos Stylianides, described security issues as the highest priority of the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, in his statements after his visit to the port of Piraeus and the 1st Port Department (Jelepi Coast) of the Central Port Authority of Piraeus. The Minister noted that “as the Prime Minister has repeatedly stressed, safety issues, especially in coastal shipping, are non-negotiable. There is no room for tolerance. This is what we started from the beginning and this is what we will continue to do.”

The visit took place in the context of a meeting with the staff of the Ministry and the Piraeus Port Authority, while the discussions focused on security issues.

The main focus of the meeting was on the security issues.
The Minister was briefed by the Port Authority hierarchy on the traffic in the port of Piraeus during the summer period and on all the control and inspection procedures carried out on a daily basis. He also congratulated the officers of the Coast Guard for their important work and for their significant contribution to the smooth and safe operation of coastal shipping routes and the observance of all required order and safety measures.

Regarding the prices of ferry tickets, Mr. Stylianides pointed out: “As I said in Parliament two days ago, we are in consultation with the Ministry of Finance on the issue of the Tax. We will look at the general economic policy, the fiscal constraints and there will be a general government decision.”

The government is still in the process of discussing the issue with the government and the ministry of finance.

Asked about the checks being carried out to avoid obscenity, the Minister explained that, about 1,500 checks have already been carried out and about 21-23 offences have been detected and punished. “We will continue the checks and for this reason, one case has been referred to the Competition Commission and we are awaiting its decision so that this complaint, if valid, will indeed be punished in a very strict manner to send the message,” he said.

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