Tag: Greece

From ERMA FIRST S.A A very successful forum was held Tuesday 27th of September, by the 1st Greek Manufacturer, ERMA FIRST ESK Engineering Solutions S.A., who has designed, certified and manufactured an integrated Ballast Water Management System.More than 250 people, executives from the largest Greek Shipping companies attended the forum thus supporting a major effort made by a Greek company.ERMA FIRST comprised of young scientists, managed to create a high standards Ballast Water Treatment System.During the forum the regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the Ballast Water and Sediment Control Convention, 2004 were presented and analyzed while attendants were thoroughly informed about the latest developments in the legislative context, testing and sampling board, issues of great concern for the shipping and managing companies. Participants had the chance to understand the particular features of ERMA FIRST as a distinguished solution on board.Distinguished presenters as Dr. Stephan Gollash, worldwide reputable, academically recognized Marine Biologist, pioneer in the domain of sampling on board and shipboard testing, analyzed the procedure of sampling and the future challenges related to the Regulation Implementation and On-board Surveying/Sampling by Authorities and Coast Guards.And Mr. Frank Fuhr, distinguished Marine Biologist, Senior Researcher of the reputable NIOZ (The ...

To better support the large Greek fleet, Kongsberg Maritime opens new office in the port of Piraeus To better support the large Greek fleet, Kongsberg Maritime now has opened office in the port of Piraeus.With over 4.000 vessels, Greek ship owners control the world's largest merchant fleet, involved internationally in the cargo and passenger trade.There are around 700 shipping companies in the Athens and Piraeus area, so it was important for KONGSBERG to establish presence in Greece to better support its clients.Terje Dyhre (33) is General Manager for the new office. He started at Kongsberg Maritimes office at Bekkajordet in Horten, Norway in 2004 as Field Engineer. He became Operatinal Coordinator for the same department December 2008, and then team leader for section Manager Field Service Customer Support Department.He moved to Greece July this year."I see this as a great challenge, and it is motivating to participate in building the business from scratch", he says.Liquefied natural gasKongsberg Maritime Hellas has 14 staff, and combines customer support and sales from the same location in the port of Piraeus. It will perform service in the local area and in southern Europe. The large Greek ferry fleet sails with a lot of Kongsberg ...

The port authorities of Piraeus and Thessalonica The Greek government has put forward a plan to privatise part of the port authorities of Piraeus and Thessalonica - a move hotly contested by local organised labour unions.At present, the Greek state holds a 74% of the shares in both Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) and Thessalonica Port Authority (OLTH) that are currently quoted on the Athens stock market and 100% of the remaining non-quoted equity. Under the plan, shares would be sold on to a strategic investor.In addition, consolidation of Greek ports is also proposed. Those in the Attica region (Piraeus, Elefsina, Rafina and Lavrio) are to combined under one port administration and the others (Thessalonica, Kavala, Volos, Alexandroupolis, Heraklion, Patrasso, Corfu and Igoumenitsa) another.Source: Port Strategy

The Greek office will be fully operational by November A much anticipated office expected to deepen the Bahamas Maritime Authoritys (BMA) presence in Greece is set to open by November.Chairman of the BMA Ian Fair has confirmed that both the Greece office and a Hong Kong office will be fully operational by the end of the year. Both offices are expected to expand the country's registry by 10 percent, with plans in motion to boost the countrys image in those jurisdictions.We will have the Greece office fully operational by November, he told Guardian Business. We will have more staff than the Hong Kong office. We have not determined exactly how much staff yet, but it will be six people immediately.The move comes as the nations influence spreads in China, with BMA officials invited to speak in Tianjin, China in October, where it will make a technical presentation to the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.Fair asserts marketing is important in the region.Thats a key thing for that region... but more people are aware now that The Bahamas has a presence in East Asia.We have some plans for October to do some more .Fair has said the recent move to Hong Kong was a ...

IT systems are currently experiencing problems On 1 January 2011 it became mandatory to electronically submit Advance Cargo Declarations to relevant customs authorities when entering the area of the EU Customs Union.In the past six months this requirement has caused some headaces to traders, as the individual nationalIT systems that were supposed to be the platform for submissions of cargo declarations were different for each EU member state, and were not always functioning properly.The Greek IT systems are currently experiencing problems when lodging electronic Entry Summary Declarations (ENS) in vast volumes. To mitigate the effects hereof, the European Commission, through the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA)has advised thatsome EU Mediterranean Member States (i.e. Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, France, Cyprus, Malta) can temporarily serve for the lodgement of ENS on behalf of Greece.Traders can therefore follow two options:a) Continue to use interfaces and services currently offered by Greek customs;b) Request the Greek customs to be allowed to use a temporary solution whereby all the ENS to be lodged in Greece will be lodged in other EUmember statewhere the trader has an electronic connection to customs. In this case, the trader will declare an alternative location (in a different member state) as Office ...

To protest new austerity measures imposed by the government under pressure Greek dockworkers will join a 24-hour general strike June 15 to protest fresh austerity measures imposed by the Socialist government under pressure from international creditors.The dockers unions are also threatening to step up industrial action through the summer to protest the planned privatization of publicly owned ports as part of a sale of state assets aimed at reducing Greeces $500 billion debt burden.The government plans to sell its 75 percent stakes in the Piraeus and Thessaloniki port authorities by the end of the year. It will also seek buyers for its stakes of between 43 percent and 66 percent in smaller ports in 2012 and 2013.The Union of Port Workers called the privatizations an incomprehensible and criminal political act.The European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank, which rescued Greece from bankruptcy last year with a $157 billion loan, are pressing Athens to implement pledged reforms, including privatizations, to secure further funding.Dockers staged several strikes in recent weeks against the privatization program, but the government has shown no sign of backing down.The chairman of Port Piraeus George Anomeritis said privatization is an obsolete business model and ...

Raising the wreck would cost more than 150 million Euro The Greek government on May 24, 2011, said it was not in a position to salvage the wreck of the "Sea Diamond" which sank of the coast of Santorini after it hit a rocky outcrop close to the islands shore in April 2007.The wreckage of the ship has remained on the sea bed ever since, much to the annoyance of the islands residents. Responding to a question in Parliament, Marine Affairs Minister Yiannis Diamantidis said that the government could not afford to remove the ships hulk.Raising the wreck would cost more than 150 million Euro, this being an issue that the shipowner and insurance company have to deal with. Louis Cruise Lines, which owned the ship, has firmly rejected any responsibility for the sinking.Source: Vesseltracker

stuck in Greece Ukranian general cargo Socol-3 suffered mechanical failure 3.5nm N off Kea island, Aegean sea, Greece, on April 27 2011. Vessel anchored 1.3 nm off Kea and was prohibited by Maritime Authorities of Kea to sail till survey will be carried out, and also, authorities required Class verification.Vessel was towed to Lavrion port and judging from Greece media pics, docked there. Vessel departs Russia with some general cargo and 85 mt (84.508 kg ) of Class I explosives, bound for Venezuela.Ukranian company bought vessel in 2003, before 2003 vessel belonged to Russian State Agency Rosvooruzheniye (Russian Arms). Crew 23, Ukranians. SOCOL-3 IMO 9004487, dwt 9500, built 1992, flag St Vincent, manager Kaalbye Shipping, Ukraine Odessa.Source: Maritime Bulletin

Cutting carbon emissions from the world fleet A straight fuel oil levy on all ships has been given cautious backing by the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee as the least harmful option among market based mechanisms for cutting carbon emissions from the world fleet.The London-based committee, which has often played the significant role of a think-tank as well as representing Greek shipping offices in the UK, gave measured support for a fuel levy as "the more suitable mechanism".But this was on the provision that any mechanism should be designed and implemented by the International Maritime Organization and any revenue resulting should be directed by the IMO, and purely for environmental benefit.Source: Safety4Sea

Disaster on sea averted A joint operation by the Coast Guard and Gujarat police helped avert a major maritime disaster by defusing a live grenade lodged in a tanker registered in Greece.According to an official spokesman of the Coast Guard on Monday, the operation in mid-sea was undertaken early on Sunday morning following information that a live Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) was lying in the accommodation structure of the Motor Tanker Aegea. The tanker, which set sail from Antwerp on March 4, was on its way to Sikka port in Jamnagar district of Gujarat. About 400 nautical miles away from Porbandar, the ship was attacked by pirates equipped with small arms and RPGs.One RPG hit the accommodation structure of the ship but did not explode. All the crew members on board were safe.The Coast Guard regional headquarters in Gandhinagar was informed about the unexploded grenade and it immediately formulated an emergency plan to undertake a joint operation with the police and the Navy.Soure: The Hindu