Thessaloniki, Greece (Ports Europe) August 29, 2023 – Thessaloniki Port Authority (ThPA) is launching a new container block-train service between Thessaloniki and the capital of North Macedonia, Skopje.
The new regular container block-train service, connecting weekly the Port of Thessaloniki and Skopje, will start on September 6, 2023. Trains will depart from Thessaloniki every Wednesday and arrive in Skopje on the same day. The new intermodal service is the result of the cooperation between ThPA and eleven private and public organizations.
“The new intermodal service provides climate-neutral transport from the Port of Thessaloniki to Skopje, significantly contributing to the reduction of transport-related CO₂ emissions. At the same time, it allows ThPA to further develop the connectivity of the Port and its international intermodal network, which brings Thessaloniki closer to customers in Southeast and Central Europe. ThPA is ready to increase itinerary frequency, based on customer demand. It is also important to mention that only with a continuous modernization of the railway infrastructure it will be feasible to further develop new and innovative intermodal services,” said Executive Chairman of the BoD & Managing Director of ThPA, Thanos Liagkos.
At the same time, ThPA celebrates the one-year anniversary of the railway connection between Thessaloniki and Nis, Serbia. With the expansion of its activities in the two cities, ThPA intensifies its footprint in the field of intermodal services. This is a strategic choice aimed at further developing the connectivity of the port with the countries of the broader Balkan and Southeast European region.
ThPA
Thessaloniki Port Authority (ThPA) was privatised in March 2018. It was operated by South Europe Gateway Thessaloniki (SEGT) Ltd, a consortium, in turn, then owned by Germany’s Deutsche Invest Equity Partners (DIEP) 47%; France’s CMA CGM (Terminal Link) 33% and Savvidis Group (Cyprus-registered Belterra Investments) 20%. Terminal Link is 49% owned by China Merchants Port Holding, which is controlled by the Chinese state. In February 2021, Russian billionaire of Greek origin, born in Georgia, Ivan Savvidis, acquired the 47% stake in the port owned by DIEP. Savidis, “the Russian tsar of Thessaloniki”, according to local media, now controls 67% of Greece’s second largest port.
Thessaloniki is a port in Northeast Greece in the North Aegean Sea. It is operated by Thessaloniki Port Authority (ThPA).
Copyright (C) Ports Europe. All Rights Reserved. 2023.
