PM unveils three-pronged plan for shipping, ports
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a three-pronged plan to boost Greece's maritime fortunes during a visit to the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy in the port city of Piraeus on Thursday.
In comments after talks with Shipping Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis, the prime minister said that 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. He also spoke of plans to make professions linked to shipping and maritime affairs more appealing to young people.
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, is the second part of the plan Mitsotakis referred to.
The third and final part of the initiative 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 European Union structural funds, so as to help the country's smaller islands carry out growth-friendly initiatives.
