By V. Vegiri
[email protected]
International tenders to sell a majority stake of the port authorities of Irakleio (Herakleio) and Volos, on Crete and in central mainland Greece, respectively, will reportedly take place at the end of March or early April.
Greece's privatization agency, HRADF, is also expected to announce, within March, which investment schemes have been selected in the second phase of a tender to exploit the ports of Alexandroupolis and Kavala, both in northern Greece, with the port an announcement dealing with the port of Igoumenitsa, in extreme northwest Greece, by the end of the month.
HRADF's goal, according to sources, is to finalize all of the tenders for the provincial ports within 2021.
The Greek government is offering up a 67-percent stake in the port authorities that exploit the ports, along with the management.
Besides Alexandroupolis, which lies a few kilometers west of the land border with Turkey in the province of Thrace, US interest has recently been expressed for the port authority of Volos; Goldair has also expressed an interest.
Irakleio, meanwhile, is seen as a good future prospect for cruise tourism
