Landlocked Serbia seeks stake in Piraeus or Thessaloniki port

Belgrade, Serbia (Ports Europe) February 28, 2024 – Landlocked Serbia is interested in buying a 5-10% stake in Greece’s Aegean ports of Thessaloniki or Piraeus, country’s president Aleksandar Vucic said at the Serbian-Greek business forum in Belgrade. “Belgrade would be ready to buy part of the marine terminals in Thessaloniki and Piraeus,” Vucic was quoted as saying by the Politika newspaper. “When we increase automobile production, with mines and ironworks, we will need that”, he said. In 2023, Serbia's exports increased by 6.5% compared to 2022 to almost $31 billion. Piraeus port The majority owner of the Greek port of Piraeus with a 67% share is the Chinese state company COSCO Shipping Ports Limited. It is a world leader in the bulk cargo sector, one of the world's 10 largest container operators. Annually it transports about 180 million tonnes of cargo. Ports Europe has an extensive file of articles about Piraeus port After 2011, Greece sold almost all its important seaports and airports to foreigners due to the debt crisis. China modernised the port, turning Piraeus is the largest port in the Eastern Mediterranean and the seventh largest in Europe. Between 1,300 and 1,400 containers arrive annually in Serbia from Piraeus port, and significantly less from the port of Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki port Controversial Russian billionaire of Greek origin, born in Georgia, Ivan Savvidis, owns 71.85% of Thessaloniki Port Authority (ThPA). Savidis, “the Russian tsar of Thessaloniki”, according to local media, has been embroiled in numerous scandals in recent years. The owner of the Greek PAOK football club, hotels and a former member of the Russian State Duma has transferred hundreds of thousands of euros to structures working against a change of the name of neighbouring Northern Macedonia. “Russian tsar of Thessaloniki” now owns 71.85% of city’s port. Russia and China via proxies now control Greece’s second largest port He also participates in the manufacture of cigarettes and sugar. He is seen as one of the most powerful investors in Northern Greece. Savidis’ name appeared in publications about the coup attempt against Montenegro's then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic in 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom he has cordial relations, awarded him in 2019 the order of “many years of conscientious work” and “achievements in labour”. Using Thessaloniki, which is 630 km south of Belgrade, will reduce the cost and time of delivery of goods. Serbia currently uses the Slovenian port of Koper in the northern Adriatic Sea. The Koper-Budapest-Novi Sad railway line is used for cargo delivery. However, transportation of goods to foreign markets occurs with a 5-7-day delay. Refocusing on Thessaloniki will speed up access to the Mediterranean Sea. Serbia uses Bar, Koper, Rijeka ports “Belgrade and Athens are convinced that proper organisation of rail and road connections (between Serbia and Greece) creates a “phenomenal position for Serbia,” Goran Aleksic, CEO of the Srbiatransport Association said. “The construction of a railway corridor to Greece attaches particular importance to the Greek ports”. Aleksic added that Serbia has been trying for years to improve the quality and level of cooperation with the largest Montenegrin port of Bar on the Adriatic Sea. There is a developed railway and transport infrastructure from the time of former Yugoslavia between Serbia and Montenegro. However, further progress in this area is hampered by political problems that worsened while Montenegro President Milo Djukanovic was in power. “You need to connect to ports where there are railways. That's why we export through Bar and Rijeka (Croatia). This is why Greece is important for us, because a railway corridor will be built in this direction,” Aleksic added. The project of connecting Western Balkans with Greece has been discussed for years. It is planned that the high-speed line (200 km/h) should stretch from Budapest (Hungary) to Belgrade (Serbia), then to North Macedonia’s capital Skopje. The final point (via Thessaloniki) will be the port of Piraeus in Athens. The project, if ever realised, will heavily depend on financial support from the EU, estimated at 610 million euro. Container lines from Thessaloniki Last September, the port of Thessaloniki announced that a new regular railway container line will run weekly to Skopje. A year earlier, a railway container line was launched to Serbia’s city of Nis. Previously, Serbian logistics officials said that it would be strategically important for Serbia to position itself in the largest Romanian Black Sea terminal of Constanta, as well as in the Slovenian Koper. The largest Serbian importers have become dependent on the Croatian port of Rijeka in recent years, mostly due to the rail link, which makes the transport of goods cheaper and faster. The port of Rijeka is particularly important for importers operating in the container transport sector due to its proximity, good road infrastructure and high competition between carriers. Through it, importers transport goods from China, tropical fruits, bananas, citrus fruits, frozen meat, and fish. More PortSEurope news about Serbia Copyright (C) Ports Europe. All Rights Reserved. 2024.

Landlocked Serbia seeks stake in Piraeus or Thessaloniki port

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Landlocked Serbia seeks stake in Piraeus or Thessaloniki port

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