As a development lever fueling the great investment interest in the port of Lavrio, the cruise sector was characterized by Georgios Vakondios, CEO of the Lavrio Port Organization S.A. (OLOL S.A.), while speaking to journalists on Friday, October 10th, aboard the cruise ship “Celestyal Discovery”, before it departed for Mykonos.
As he himself emphasized, “the cruise sector and the commercial sector made the difference in the port’s finances. Our activity in coastal shipping is limited. The high investment interest from five major consortia arises from the cruise sector.”
It is recalled that the tender for the utilization of the port of Lavrio is entering the final stretch, as the Board of Directors of the Superfund is set to open the financial offers on October 21st, so that the highest bidder can be selected by the end of the month.
Specifically, binding offers for the acquisition of a majority participation share (51%) in the share capital of the company Lavrio Port Organization S.A. (OLOL S.A.) have been submitted by the following investment schemes (in alphabetical order):
1. Consortium GEK TERNA – CELESTYAL.
2. Consortium INTERKAT S.A. – BEAUFORT SEA SHIPPING CORPORATION – NEWSPHONE HELLAS S.A.
3. Consortium OLYMPIC MARINE S.A. – CRUISE TERMINAL INVESTMENT LIMITED SARL.
4. ISRAEL SHIPYARDS INDUSTRIES LTD.
5. JET PLAN SHIPPING CO LTD.
The focus on cruising began just before the spread of Covid-19, when the existing management of OLOL was seeking new revenue sources: “when we took over the management of the port in 2019 and amidst the coronavirus, we were seeking new revenue sources so that the port would be financially healthy. Our first approach was to host laid-up cruise ships, which I consider an action in a positive direction.”
Credit: Naftika Chronika
The progress of the port is remarkable during these years, as Mr. Vakondios noted, and “we managed this year to reach 150 cruise ship calls. Imagine that in homeporting calls, in terms of the number of ships, we are the second port after Piraeus.”
The spearhead for the impressive rise in cruise activity at the port was the vote of confidence from Celestyal Cruises. “Celestyal Cruises played a catalytic role, as it was the first to trust the port. It took the risk of leaving the certainty of Piraeus, at least for one ship (Celestyal Discovery), and led other companies to also trust the port of Lavrio. I hope it decides to bring the second ship (Celestyal Journey) as well.”
Mr. Vakondios expressed his optimism for the port’s development prospects: “We expect things to get better, and within this framework, we are also building a new Port Facility Security Control Center (KEFSE). It will be the most modern in Greece and will be completed next month. Next March, we aspire to be ready to operate as a fully ready Schengen gateway.”
Finally, it is noted that a press team was present on the “Celestyal Discovery”, following a kind invitation from the company’s management. The journalists toured the fully renovated spaces of the ship and had the opportunity to converse with both Mr. Chris Theophilides, CEO of Celestyal, and Capt. Georgios Koubenas, Operations Director of Celestyal. A more detailed report will follow.
Photo: Naftika Chronika
