Sea Tourism

The International Exhibition “Ports 2001” for the construction, development and management of ports in view of 2004 took place on September 27-28, 2001 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.

After summer inspections of a good portion of the 351 Greek beach properties awarded the prestigious 2001 Blue Flag designation, 23 beaches were stripped of their award. The inspectors came from the head organization, the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe, and the local operator, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature.

Most of the organized beach properties in the Athens region are soon to be leased to the private sector for development and management. So far, 10-year lease agreements have been signed for the beach properties at Alimos and Vouliagmenis between Hellenic Tourism Properties and a construction-company-led consortium called Attikes Aktes. The beach properties at A Voula and B Voula, as well as at Varkiza, were turned over to a group led by Vernicos Yachts.

Three of the Greek capital’s most popular marinas are about to go private.  Last month, just two days after it handed over the operation and upgrading of five state-owned beaches …

Michael Ghiolman of Ghiolman Yachts-Travel-Aviation hopes to get his name in the Guiness Book of World Records with his yacht Nidri. The Greek-built ‘Skipper 53,’ he says, was chartered out for the longest term ever by a broker, and accordingly Mr. Ghiolman has sent an application to Guiness publishers attesting to the fact.

The roll-on, roll-off ferry vessel Superfast XI last month was slid gracefully down the slipway of the Flender shipyard in Lubeck, Germany, into the waters of the Baltic Sea launched at. The 200-meter-long Superfast XI, built for Superfast Ferries’ holding company, Attica Enterprises, can carry 1,550 passengers. It will be delivered in the first quarter of next year. A second sister ship is due in the second quarter of next year.

Attica Enterprises, the holding company for Superfast Ferries accepted delivery of its newest ferry, the Superfast VIII, last month. This is the second of a series of four sister vessels built at Howaldtswerke shipyard in Germany and the fourth delivery from the same yard this year.

As of May 4 next year, Piraeus hosts a new cruise program by Classic International Cruises. The Lisbon-based company, Arcolia Shipping, will run seven-day cruises from here with stops at Ismir, Istanbul, Samothraki, Thessaloniki, Volos, Meteora, Santorini and Mykonos.

A marina complex worth 9.35 billion drachmas built on the Ionian island of Lefkas began operation last month. The marina, which can berth up to 500 yachts, includes some 72 stremma of property that hosts a marine control tower, shipping club, stores, a hotel and a ship repair unit.

Greece’s coastal shipping companies say new legislation that aims to liberalize the sector and open Greek routes to competition counters free enterprise and allows for greater state intervention. They even went as far as to say the bill creates the risk of placing some companies on the brink of bankruptcy.