2023-10-21 06:58:22
Extensive investments for its development port of Igoumenitsa at the gate of Greece but also of the entire region of Balkans to Italy and Central and Western Europe announced Emanuele Grimaldi, the powerful man of the homonymous Italian group that acquired 67% of the Igoumenitsa Port Authority for a price of 84.17 million euros. At the same time, he pledged to develop both the commercial and passenger ports, as well as the three marinas that belong to the organization’s area of responsibility, in a way that will make the infrastructure a point of reference for sustainability in the global port industry. The relevant commitments were made on Friday in Igoumenitsa during the signing ceremony of the contract for the sale of the majority package of shares (67%) of the Igoumenitsa Port Authority to the Grimaldi Group, in the presence of the Prime Minister Kyriakou Mitsotakis.
In his speech, the Prime Minister noted that “the transfer of the management of the port of Igoumenitsa to a large shipping giant, such as the Grimaldi Group, means more development for both the national and the local economy. It is an important investment with significant revenues for TAIPED that exceed 84 million”.
In interview granted to “K” by Emanuele Grimaldi has clarified the reasons for the investment: “First of all, we are the biggest client of the port. It is therefore logical that we want to secure our interests. Secondly, Igoumenitsa is a key hub for connecting the Balkans, and the part of Turkey geographically located on the European continent, with Italy and Central Europe. The market it can serve is not only made up of Greek companies, but also Bulgarian, Romanian, Turkish, etc. Thirdly, with the parallel privatization of Egnatia, an axis is created that can effectively serve this entire market of tens of millions. Therefore, by further improving the port’s services and focusing on three pillars, and in particular logistics, tourism and the environment, the prospects for improving the port’s results are great. Igoumenitsa is already a very well managed port and if appropriate investments are made it will be able to take full advantage of its potential. In these investments I also include the energy autonomy of the port. We should produce the electricity we consume from renewable sources. The issue of sustainability is important to us and we will promote it, as we do in other ports where we have a presence, such as Antwerp or Valencia, for example.”
In his speech yesterday, Friday, in Igoumenitsa, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis underlined that “the port is the third largest in the country, it is a critical gateway of the country, a vital link in the chain of supply and markets, essentially the western gateway of the country to Europe. A bridge for passengers and goods to and from Italy, and at the same time a hub connecting the Ionian and Adriatic with the entire South-Eastern Mediterranean. We are therefore talking about an important international port which is being upgraded and will give a significant boost to many sectors of economic and social life”, he estimated. The ministers of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis and Shipping Christos Stylianidis also spoke at the ceremony, while the Speaker of the Parliament Konstantinos Tasoulas and the former Minister of Shipping Yannis Plakiotakis were also present.
#plans #Grimaldi #group #port #Igoumenitsa