Four major Greek ports – Pireaus, Thessaloniki, Heraklion and Igoumenitsa – are to get upgrades using European funds, while a process is underway to exploit the infrastructure at the port of Alexandroupolis due to its important geostrategic nature, with an interministerial strategic investments’ committee involved so that the works are carried out immediately and without problems.
According to information given to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the General Secretariat for Ports and Naval Investments has drawn up a plan for restoring the minimum depths in the Alexandroupolis port channel up to a distance of 2.5 km so that big warships can dock. There are also plans for road works within the port area to facilitate the transport of loads, with a highway now being constructed to link the port with the Egnatia Highway, as well as a tender for the purchase of a crane and to improve the lighting using LED lights.
Six infrastructure improvement projects at the ports of Pireaus, Thessaloniki, Heraklion and Igoumenitsa have been approved for European financing from the “Connecting Europe Facility CEF2 in the 2021-2027 period, of which three are for Piraeus. They include port facilities to provide electricity to ships using hybrid propulsion technology, digital technology for Just-in-Time (JIT) arrival and the SMILE project for the use of digital data to promote sustainable logistics.
The port of Thessaloniki has asked for financing to restore minimum depths and dock 6 infrastructure, the port of Igoumenitsa is building energy infrastructure to reduce is carbon footprint, including by supplying electricity to ships docked in the port, and Heraklion port has submitted a plan for improving its container terminal, as well as supplying electricity to ships carrying controlled temperature containers (reefer containers).
