Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) is investing €294m over a five-year period to upgrade its infrastructure and help increase its competitiveness in the East Med cruise sector.
Details of the specific plans were presented during the opening day of the 4th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum by Theodora Riga, Manager of Strategic Planning & Marketing department, PPA.
Cosco Shipping Corp gained a majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority in August, 2016.
A significant part of this investment will support Greece’s cruise sector as they include the expansion of the Southern port with capacity for four new cruise berths, up to 400mtr each for new generation ships.
The plans also include the development of hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and other auxiliary services designed to establish Piraeus as a key East Mediterranean cruise hub.
‘The planned improvements will benefit the cruise sector overall by providing best-in-class customer service experience to the operators of the cruise ships as well as by enhancing the overall experience of their guests,’ said Riga.
‘New value added services for the cruise lines and passengers are at the core of Piraeus Port Authority’s vision to promote overall product awareness in the Chinese market and act as a facilitator to capture higher volumes of tourists from the Far East,’ she added.
Currently, Piraeus offers 2.8km in quay length with a draft of up to 11mtr tide free. It has between 9-11 simultaneous berthing places. The expansion plans would add a further 1,65km of quay length further strengthening the port’s capacity by roughly 50%.
Photo: Theodora Riga, Manager of Strategic Planning & Marketing, PPA, speaking at The 4th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum
