The Napoli Terminal in Italy was visited on Tuesday, September 27 by the CEO of OLI Mr. Minas Papadakis and the President of OLI Mr. Ioannis Vardavas, accompanied by members of the Board of Directors, for the completion of the signing of the Twinning Agreement between the Port of Heraklion and the Napoli Terminal Italy.
The Greek delegation was welcomed in Napoli, Italy by the Managing Director of Napoli Terminal, Italy, Mr. Tomaso Cognolato, expressing his satisfaction for this working visit and meetings.
Next day on September 28, 2022, before the signing of the Twinning Agreement, there was a presentation in the Conference Center of Napoli Terminal, by the Managing Director of Terminal Naples Italy Mr. Tomaso Cognolato and his executive team who referred to the activities of the Terminal with statistical data from previous years until today, giving figures to the intense traffic in the ferry and especially in the cruise sector.
This was followed by the official twinning ceremony, which took place in a solemn and enthusiastic atmosphere, in the main hall of the Conference Center of the Terminal, where the twinning of the two port organizations was formally ratified and sealed.
In his speech during the ceremony, the Managing Director of the Terminal, Mr. Tomaso Cognolato, after welcoming the Greek delegation, referred to the strong relations that connect the two port cities from the depths of the centuries, emphasizing at the same time the importance and value of twinning between them in today’s era, which is a tangible proof of the will and determination of the representatives to create a strong partnership for the benefit of the shipping and local community as well.
The CEO of OLI, Mr. Minas Papadakis, expressed his enthusiasm for the warm welcome extended to the Greek delegation, noting that this historic moment comes today to connect joint initiatives, to highlight new ideas through an operational platform and specialized actions. The Managing Director of OLI, Mr. Minas Papadakis, in his greeting focused also at the business relations development between the two EU member states, which have their starting point in the depths of the centuries with strong common historical and cultural elements, he praised the initiative to advance the two port organizations in twinning which beyond the sentimental character it has, will promote cooperation between the two port entities in a spirit of understanding, brotherhood and solidarity, on a number of issues of mutual interest.
Both port organizations have common characteristics, said the Managing Director of OLI, Mr. Minas Papadakis, with the dominant maritime sector, emphasizing Heraklion Port activities in the ferry as well as the cruise sector with a large passenger traffic. He also elaborated on the common challenges that both ports must jointly face in the coming years, which are sustainability, green transition issues, the energy crisis and the destabilization caused by the war in Ukraine.
The ceremony of signing the twinning pact was completed with operational meetings and inspections of the areas of responsibility of the Napoli Terminal and at the same time there were individual meetings that covered all areas of cooperation focused on the operational part and the academic with the collaboration of the Napoli Parthenope University and the Hellenic Mediterranean University Crete.
The next phase will be the most important achievement of the twinning, which will include the First Call of Interest event for all interested users, agencies, organizations from Greece and Italy and beyond, to get in touch with the B28 program in Athens and Naples. It is the first time that port organizations from European countries come together for common issues of interest but also for the creation of transnational business partnerships.
The Heraklion Port Authority would like to thank the consulting company ICCS Corp and personally Mr. Chris Nicolaides, for the cooperation in the implementation of the twinning for the two port organizations.
