Sea Tourism

Two major developments this year places Greece’s Blue Flag program on a much higher level than ever before.

In its heyday it was called Ceres Flying Dolphins, when purchased by Minoan it was Minoan Flying Dolphins, now that the tables have turned downward, the name of Greece’s biggest hydrofoil fleet has been changed to Hellas Flying Dolphins.

The construction of eight modern vessels is proceeding without any delays, said Crete-based ferry operator Minoan Lines last month after press reports implied the company was in financial difficulties.

Greek Merchant Marine Minister Christos Papoutsis last month took the first major step for the deregulation of the domestic passenger-shipping sector. With the issuance of new exploitation permits for island routes, the ministry breaks up the near-monopoly some larger ferry lines have held on domestic shipping routes. “No one has the privilege of exclusive operating rights,” he said.

Piraeus-based CTS (Coastal Transportation Services), which is a member of the a Piraeus Bank Group, will soon provide a complete pioneering system for the settlement of sales through agents in coastal transportation and other tourism services.

Greek coastal shipping companies look to copy some of the international airline moves to cut costs. Five Greek coastal shipping companies have decided to pool their forces to achieve economies of scale to prepare for the deregulation of the domestic passenger shipping market in 2004.

Superfast Ferries announced last month that it had won a Scottish state tender to ply routes to northern ports on continental Europe from 2002. Forty two companies took part in the international tender to run a service between Rosyth in Fife, Scotland and the Continent.

The continued rise of oil prices leaves Greek passenger shipping firms, especially the domestic operators, facing very serious losses. The situation is compounded by the rise of the dollar, which increases their liabilities to banks and insurance firms as a great part of these liabilities is dollar-denominated.

State-run marinas in Attica and Thessaloniki will be reorganized and upgraded to the high standards seen elsewhere in Europe, Development Minister Nikos Christodoulakis announced recently.

In less than two years, Crete-based Minoan Lines plans to accept delivery of at least seven new fast-ferry vessels. A number of these vessels are slated for routes to European ports, while others will replace older vessels on basic Greek routes.