Dritsas sees scope for OLP contract talks

Merchant Marine Minister Theodoros Dritsas is keen to negotiate with the preferred bidder in the sale of Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) in order to ensure more benefits for the state and to safeguard labor relations in the company, he told Kathimerini.

Dritsas said the government will sign the concession contract with Cosco Pacific, but noted that Parliament could introduce additional provisions to make sure the investment will have a social dividend and added value for the economy.

“We will secure this through deliberations [with Cosco], a process that both I and the government believe has to be put to good use. If we reach an agreement, this can then be rubber-stamped in a variety of ways. This negotiation has not begun, though I have called for it,” Dritsas said in an interview with Kathimerini’s Sunday edition.

“The concession contract can be revised and it is in this context that the Drapetsona zone was excluded from the on the prime minister’s initiative,” Dritsas said. The minister was also critical of the state sell-off fund, saying it acted without prior consultation with the government. “There were no talks between OLP and the state. The concession contract was drafted by TAIPED. Now the [OLP] board has set up a committee to examine the contract.”