Three ferry operators —Attica Group, ANEK and Grimaldi­— are expected to compete for the privatisation of the three ports: Igoumenitsa, Patras and Heraklion.

In brief:

• Grimaldi Group controls Minoan Lines and seek to acquire a port in order to form a bridge between the Adriatic Sea services and Crete.
• The Port Authority of Thessaloniki (PAT/Ivan Savvidis’ Group) is strongly interested in the port of Igoumenitsa, as it considers it of great importance for its strategic expansion and development.
• Greek Ferry Operators seek to control either the port of Igoumenitsa or Patras in order to exert pressure on Grimaldi in Heraklion.
• Grimaldi is interested in both ports (Heraklion, Igoumenitsa) and possibly will be interested in Patras as well. However, there will be a competition issue if they eventually control the port of Igoumenitsa.

Regarding the investors’ participating in the privatisation process for the three ports:

• For the 67% of the Igoumenitsa Port Authority qualified Attica Group, Portek International, Quintana, Aegean Oil, Archirodon joint venture with ANEK and Trident Hellas, Grimaldi Euromed consortium with Minoan Lines and the Port Authority of Thessaloniki.
• For the 67% of the Port of Heraklion, the deadline for the investors’ interest expires on September 17, 2021. Active interest has already expressed by Greek cruise companies, the Greek Group AVIAREPS (G. Grylos), Grimaldi Group, Attica Group, GEK TERNA and the Port Authority of Thessaloniki.
• The tender process for the port of Patras has not started yet.

Source: Spyros Roussos and Kathimerini newspaper 25 August 2021