The tender process for the privatization of the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) will completed ‘within weeks’ according to the Deputy Prime Minister Yiannis Dragasakis, who spoke about the matter in Beijing where he has been meeting with Chinese government officials, Kathimerini newspaper reports.
Dragasakis added that Cosco, which is among the bidders for OLP and widely considered to be the favourite, “may submit a very competitive offer.”
Speaking to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, Dragasakis attributed delays in the sale of 67.7% of the shares in OLP to changes that were implemented at the Hellenic Asset Development Fund (TAIPED) following the January 25 elections.
Shortly after the elections several SYRIZA MPs had announced that all privatizations were to be halted specifically including the sale of OLP, provoking intense dismay from the Chinese government. However the government subsequently backtracked, confirming that the sale was to go ahead. Dragasakis’s trip to China and his comments regarding the sale of the port are being seen as an attempt to put draw a line under the conflicting messages and end the uncertainty regarding the future of the port privatization.
Dragasakis’s recent comments in Beijing were entirely in line with Beijing’s official positions. He described the existing cooperation between OLP and Cosco which already manages Piers II and III as an ‘example of mutually beneficial cooperation’ between the two countries and one that was of ‘great importance to Greece,’ due to the key role played by Piraeus in Greece’s economic development.
The Deputy PM also stated that Athens had adopted a three-year development plan which would cover all of the projects with a Chinese interest including the Thriasio Freight Center. Cosco is also bidding for the tender for the development and operation of the center.
Dragasakis also called on more Chinese companies to take part in Greek projects such as the upgrading of the rail network and the construction of a new airport in Heraklion in Crete. The Deputy PM highlighted the sectors of logistics, tourism, shipping, agriculture, infrastructure and culture as areas where Greece is keen to foster cooperation with China.
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