John Faraclas
The Ports sector and care for the Greek Coastal Shipping; Ocean Going shipping, the scrap… err demolition market et all…
The Faraclas Friday interview on 12 October to Panos Thomakos live on SBC TV focused on the Scrap Market, the Freight Markets Shipping the listed and non-listed companies, The potential of Ports in Greece, the Cosco deal with PPA and the crisis in Shipping, the World and European Economy – including Greece of course where covered in this quickie telconv interview.
On the Scrap front he said that scrapping is the last resort; nobody scraps juts like that… Moreover he also mentioned the scrap and built scheme of 1977/8 and how significant would have been in the then freight rate crisis – can this happen now…?
On the COSCO deal with the PPA (Piraeus Port Authority) very laconically he stressed that people must do square deals and in his view the intervention of the EU was the fact that a non-European Company “clinched” the deal… There are however some itching points (both ways) and same must be rectified for the benefit of all as soon as possible.
Once again when asked about the potential of reek Ports he emphasised the importance of the Port of Kavalla – Greece’s and periphery’s best located port in Eastern Macedonia to all intents and purposes, the Alexandroupolis future tanker terminal, in case the Bourgas – Alexndroupolis pipe line materialises.
On coastal shipping he reiterated the view that there should be both a control of the number of ports, particularly on the islands of Samos plus/minus size (Lesvos, Chios, Rhodes) as local mayors have ruined the business by wanting together with local politicians to please their constituents. Adding to this he said that new ro/ro passenger ferries of the Nissos Chios and Delos type should be built as their characteristics including that of the compatibility with the existing ports in the Aegean and Ionian archipelga are matching these types of ships and their speed and consumption given, the high oil prices, are the optimum ones now and in the future. These ferries should be built in any of Greece’s five shipyards, be ordered by the Greek state, but the running should be given to individuals in order to avoid the fiasco of the 80’s and beyond… ETVA Banks scandalous policy as a result of the Public Companies and consequently the bankruptcy of the Hellenic Coastal Shipping Company – there are skeletons in the cupboard.
On the Ocean going shipping he said that the crisis is a crisis and only the most capable shipping companies listed or otherwise will survive.
Greeks should turn to the sea and for sure housewives will be able to fill the basket in the supermarket!
Will soon produce the full transcript in English, but for the time being those capable in listening to Greek can log on here and listen:
