Alexandroupoli port – From handling military equipment to privatisation & energy hub

Alexandroupoli, Greece (PortSEurope) April 14, 2022 – The small Greek port of Alexandroupoli is becoming a staging point for sending military equipment to Ukraine and the East European members of NATO. With some 22,000 tonnes of cargo handled in 2021 and revenue of €200,000, it is strategically located at the easternmost border of Greece in East Mediterranean and Aegean Sea. According to the Greek Kathimerini newspaper, military equipment has already been sent to Ukraine via Alexandroupoli. Some of the 20 Bushmaster armoured combat vehicles that Australia will provide to Ukraine will also be processed there. U.S. military equipment is being sent through Alexandroupoli to NATO members Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania, as NATO reinforces its eastern flank. Port of Alexandroupoli The Aegean Sea port became more important after Turkey shut down the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits to military vessels. It is allowed to do under the 1936 Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits. The largest city in Greece’s Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region, Alexandroupoli, is also developing into an energy hub. With projects for a Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) and for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. The FSRU will be connected to the Greek National Natural Gas System (NNGS), the Natural Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The port, which today operates at less that 25% capacity, is key for the region’s transformation into an energy, logistics, and transportation centre. The port’s cargo terminal connection with the railroad, the Alexandroupolis Democritus Airport situated only 5 km miles away, and the new Egnatia Highway, provide the multimodal transport infrastructure. Privatisation The Alexandroupolis Port Authority S.A. (OLA S.A.) is also part of the Greek government's regional port privatisation programme. Binding bids for the privatization of 67% of Alexandroupoli port are expected before mid-year. Four bidders are currently shortlisted in March 2021: consortium of the companies Cameron-Goldair Cargo-Bollore Africa Logistics; consortium International Port Investments Alexandroupolis, composed of the companies Black Summit Financial Group-Euroports-EFA Group-GEK Terna; Quintana Infrastructure & Development; and the Thessaloniki Port Authority. Greece’s largest port of Piraeus is under Chinese control. The country’s second largest port of Thessaloniki is in the hands of a controversial Russian businessman with close ties to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. This makes the privatisation of Alexandroupoli and other Greek ports a more sensitive issue, particularly for the U.S. Washington is very keen to see a U.S. company have a role in the future of the port. More PortSEurope news about Alexandropouli Railway and Transport The port of Thessaloniki is set to acquire a direct rail connection to the main network as part of the Greek government’s €4 billion investment plan which also envisions the construction of a railway line on the northwest axis of Greece connecting Thessaloniki with the ports of Kavala and Alexandroupolis, continuing to Bulgarian Black Sea ports of Bourgas and Varna before reaching the port of Ruse on the Danube River. A flagship project of the railway connection between Greece and Bulgaria is the rail link between the port of Alexandroupolis and the Ormenio border crossing with Bulgaria. In a meeting between the Greek and Bulgarian transport ministers in late March, it was decided to commence works on this railway line. “This project is of geopolitical and geostrategic importance for our country since the port of Alexandroupoli can become a gateway for ships heading to Bosphorus. It can also facilitate connectivity between Black Sea ports like Constanța and Greece,” said Karamanlis. There were even speculations that the Bulgarian state might invest in the Alexandroupoli port privatisation. Copyright (C) PortSEurope. All Rights Reserved. 2022.

Alexandroupoli port – From handling military equipment to privatisation & energy hub

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Alexandroupoli port – From handling military equipment to privatisation & energy hub

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PSA Antwerp, Combinant sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

Vezzani requests car terminal concession, Porto Marghera

Restructuring plan for Vittoria shipyard approved by Court of Rovigo

AD Port signs East Port Said development agreement

EU fishing fleet sees improved profitability but structural challenges remain

Our Expert Analysis

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