Shipping Ministry

A cargo ship was cast adrift off Cape Maleas in the Peloponnese on Monday after losing its rudder in turbulent waters whipped up by gale-force winds.

The Marshall Islands-flagged ship is carrying a crew of 22 people and a cargo of metal. It was sailing from Turkey for Argentina when it got into trouble off the eastern coast of the southern Peloponnese.

Amid the recent surge in migrant flows to the islands of the eastern Aegean, the Greek coast guard has sent a new request - the second within three weeks - for additional assistance from Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, according to sources.

The Shipping Ministry is granting Greek coastal shipping a new lease of life with its decision to include subsidized ferry services to remote islands in the Public Investments Program, increasing the funds for this domain from 90 million to 130 million euros, as Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis announced on Wednesday.

The Shipping Ministry is reportedly mulling plans to improve ferry services to remote Greek islands through increased funding and a better licensing framework so that routes are carried out with better ships.
It will also seek ways to ensure that replacement vessels are always available in case of emergency.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has praised his country's "win-win cooperation" with China as he renews efforts to rebuild the country.
He made the remarks on Saturday at the opening ceremony of the 84th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), the country's largest annual commercial exhibition.

The approval process for Cosco's investments in Piraeus has been passed on to the next government, as the Port Planning and Development Commission (ESAL) has conditionally accepted but not approved the master plan for Piraeus Port Authority (OLP).

The government is raising obstacles in the process for the concession of 10 regional ports through a Shipping Ministry bill that provides for the introduction of a 5 percent levy on the turnover of the contractor that undertakes each port.

Several ferry services were disrupted on Thursday due to gale-force winds up to 10 on the Beaufort scale blowing in the Aegean Sea, the Shipping Ministry said.

All planned services from Rafina port to the Cyclades have been suspended, while the "Adamandios Korais" ferry scheduled to sail to the western Cyclades will remain docked.

A 40-meter-long vessel sank off the coast of southern Crete to a depth of at least 1,000 meters on Saturday.

The Malpas vessel was allegedly carrying what authorities believe was a suspicious cargo.

Its five crew members - all Syrian nationals - were rescued by port authorities and were reportedly in good health.

Greece's Alpha Bank has rescinded its decision to shut down its branches on the remote islands of Kassos, Lipsoi and Tilos, a Shipping Ministry statement said on Tuesday, according to the state-run ANA-MPA news agency.