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Greece to Improve Ferry Transport and Island Port Infrastructure with €1bn in Funds
Posted On 30 Aug 2021
Greek Shipping Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis.
The Greek Shipping Ministry has announced that it will use funds of up to one billion euros to improve the service of 47 ferry lines and cover 44 projects aimed to upgrade the port infrastructure on islands.
“We have prepared and are implementing a comprehensive plan to carry out critical projects and secure key ferry connections in the island and wider sea area of Greece,” Greek Shipping Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis said in an announcement on Monday.
According to the minister, the financial support will come from national (Greek ‘Nearchos’ program for infrastructure development and island entrepreneurship) and EU funds (NSRF 2021 – 2027 program and Recovery and Resilience Fund) and will:
– improve Greece’s ferry connections between the mainland and the islands as well as between island destinations. Improvements will include increased safety and reduction of transport time and costs.
– upgrade Greece’s port infrastructure for the better and safer service of passengers.
The ministry’s plans include:
– 33 projects under a budget of 175,210,000 euros to upgrade port infrastructure on the Greek islands (NSRF 2021 – 2027 program)
– the financing of plans, studies and interventions for the expansion, upgrade, maintenance and operation of port projects in the next four years under a budget of 200,000,000 euros (Nearchos program)
– 11 projects worth 20,000,000 euros to address climate change and erosion in port infrastructure and facilities on the islands (Recovery and Resilience Fund)
– the financing of 44 intra-island and inter-regional ferry lines under a budget of 370,000,000 euros, through multi-year contracts of 4 to 7 years and that includes incentives for the renewal of coastal shipping fleet (NSRF 2021 – 2027 program)
– the financing of three ferry lines of the central coastal network with 300,000,000 euros (Nearchos program).
“Approximately 1 billion euros of funds have been secured, which will be allocated between coastal shipping and the ports of our islands, giving solutions to two critical issues concerning insularity: securing efficient and quality ferry connections and modern and safe port infrastructure,” Minister Plakiotakis said.
I think Greek ferries desperately need additional funding especially taking account how vital it is for countries transport capabilities, its importance for tourism, local communities etc.