Greece’s newly elected right-wing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced plans to boost domestic maritime industry, on the sidelines of a visit to the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy in the port city of Piraeus, Thursday.
Talking with Shipping Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis, Mr. Mitsotakis announced a threefold plan to this end, according to Kathimerini.
The first part of the initiative will comprise measures to make the Greek flag more attractive to Greek shipowners, who control the world’s largest merchant fleet. In their annual report for 2017-2018, the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) said Greece controls 20% of the global fleet in dwt tonnage.
Mitsotakis also revealed plans to promote maritime and shipping professions to younger generations.
The second part concerned bringing investment into the country’s ports and particularly to Piraeus, which has already seen a multi-billion-euro development of its cargo terminal by Chinese shipping giant Cosco.
The third and final part of the Prime Minister’s plan is to promote marine tourism, such as yachting and other activities that have the potential of bringing in significant revenues.
Mitsotakis also discussed the possibility of setting up a special fund that can bankrolled with EU structural funds, so as to help the country’s smaller islands carry out growth-friendly initiatives.
Attracting young people in shipping is key on the industry’s agenda as part of its efforts to boost diversity and efficiency.
In December, SAFETY4SEA realized the second CAREER4SEA Conference at the Eugenides Foundation, Athens, which highlighted industry dynamics and career opportunities in shipping industry for the young generation.
