Northern Greece Ports Thrive Along Egnatia Highway

Alexandroupolis Port. Photo source: Alexandroupolis Port Authority

The potential of ports in northern Greece was the focus of a speech delivered by Greece’s Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Christos Stylianidis, to the Hellenic Ports Association’s recent conference in Thessaloniki.

Minister Stylianidis compared northern Greece’s main A2 Egnatia Highway, which connects Igoumenitsa on the Ionian Sea with Kipi on the Greek – Turkish borders in Thrace, to the ports in northern Greece that parallel Egnatia. These include the ports of Igoumenitsa, Thessaloniki, Kavala and Alexandroupoli.

“Ports that in the past saw almost no activity are now bustling with commercial and transport operations,” remarked the minister, adding that “in the last eight months, the ports along the Egnatia Highway saw 300,000 more passengers and 200,000 more vehicles using their facilities compared to 2019. The significance of the port of Thessaloniki is comparable to that of the port of Piraeus. It has become and could further develop into the main Balkan port.”

Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides. Photo source: Shipping Ministry

The minister noted that all these ports now “interact” with the Egnatia Highway, with both transportation systems providing passengers and cargo to each other. He pointed out that, in conjunction with the pan-European axis roads connecting Berlin to Sofia and Thessaloniki, or Helsinki with Alexandroupolis, and Vienna with Belgrade and Thessaloniki, the importance of northern Greek ports becomes even clearer, as they will be pivotal for two new “European corridors.”

They would be the transportation corridor of the Western Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean,  leading to Cyprus and the corridor of the Baltic to the Black Sea to the Aegean.

Additionally, referring to the port of Alexandroupolis, Christos Stylianidis noted that it has transitioned from being a nearly deserted facility for decades to one that now operates daily with growing demand. He added that, through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs has 24 million euros worth of projects in the pipeline to upgrade its infrastructure.

Photo source: Thessaloniki Port Authority (ThPA)

Beyond the four major ports along the Egnatia Highway, there are a total of 30 port facilities. The minister spoke of a “port industry” that allows for the development of an “Egnatia of the Sea.”

He also mentioned two new docking projects at Greece’s Mount Athos, on the Halkidiki Peninsula.

Minister Stylianidis highlighted that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs is, for the first time, managing projects worth more than 300 million euros, funded by Greece’s National Strategic Reference Framework, to invest in port projects. A similar sum will be invested in privatized ports. The Ministry is also introducing slots for coastal shipping vessels and is participating in a Public-Private Partnership to build green ships for the coastal shipping industry.

The minister concluded by inviting all interested parties to participate in a dialogue on the new National Port Policy. He outlined the ministry’s standards for future ports, including green ports and digitally automated ports, with a focus on safety and respect for passengers, particularly those with mobility limitations.