GREEK PORTS POSEIDONIA 2012

Louis Cruises -Calls in Greek Ports 2012 PORTS OF CALL THOMSON MAJESTY LOUIS OLYMPIA LOUIS CRISTAL ORIENT QUEEN THOMSON SPIRIT TOTAL AGIOS NICOLAOS   2 ANDROS* 3 CORFU 24 HERAKLION 23 34 7 64 KALAMATA KALYMNOS 1 KATAKOLON 12 KOS MYKONOS 46 41 94 MYTILENE 4 NAXOS* NISYROS PAROS* PATMOS* 42 95 PIRAEUS 11 49 113 RHODES 65 SAMOS* SANTORINI* 105 SYMI 8 SYROS THESSALONIKI VOLOS GRAND TOTAL 608

There are 608 calls in 22 different Greek Ports scheduled for the vessels managed by Louis Cruises in 2012. Only half of them have suitable berthing facilities to accommodate even a small cruise vessel. Only a small percentage of those port are offering the required services for internationally trading cruise vessels such as immigration & custom authorities, pilotage, tender services, fresh water supply etc.

Greek Ports In a country such ours with a long maritime tradition someone who is not familiar with our industry would expect that the Greek ports will be running efficiently and free of any problems. Cruising in Greece started very early comparing to other countries where cruising is now booming. The main Passenger terminal in the port of Piraeus has been built in 1992 and until recently there were very few investments in the Greek ports for the cruise industry with the exemption of a second small terminal which was built for the Olympic games of 2004.

Curent Situation The majority of the berths in our ports were not specifically built for needs of the cruise vessels but for serving the ferries and cargo traffic of the ports. Although Greece had an early start in cruising with many Greek companies using Piraeus as home port and calling very frequently in some of the island for many years we failed to realize the importance of the cruise industry and the benefits for the local communities and the country.

Curent Situation Continuous changes in the legal framework of managing the ports in combination with the bureaucracy and the refusal of the Greek state to allow private investors to invest in the Greek ports brought us to the current situation where NO investments were made in the ports and most of the existing facilities in the Greek ports are insufficient for the cruise vessels of the new generation. NO efforts were made to attract the cruise companies and to form synergies ensuring the growth of the existing ports or the creation of new ports specially built for the cruise vessels.

Berth allocation-Capacity Control There is always the argument of the size and the nature of many of our islands such as Santorini and many others which should be kept intact in order to maintain their beauty. Again the Greek state failed to make the necessary studies in order to establish the benefits from the cruise industry and to enforce the necessary measures for the sustainable growth of the cruise traffic with the minimum affect in the environment and the character of our islands.

Berth allocation-Capacity Control Such a measure is the berth allocation which most of the countries in Europe have successfully applied for many years now. The berth allocation is the simplest method to control the number of vessels/passengers that the port authority and/or the local community have decided that can be accommodated in their port. We are all aware of the long queues in Santorini or the heavy traffic in Mykonos and Rhodes when several cruise vessels are calling at the same time.

Ports Safety & Security Safety and Security are of paramount importance for the cruise industry. Suitable port facilities, experienced pilots, and proper information provided to the ships Masters are amongst other necessary for the safe berthing of the vessels. The full enforcement of the necessary security measures and the certification according to the ISPS code of most of the Greek ports is still pending .

Cooperation from the Authorities Handling the needs of a cruise vessel in a port is a complicated task and requires the cooperation of many authorities and individuals. It is not a rare phenomenon in the Greek ports that the manpower of the immigration officers or the custom officers is not sufficient for handling all the cruise vessels in a short time resulting in long delays and cancellation of excursions.

Stable operating environment The cruise industry is based in advance detailed operational and financial planning. It has occurred many times in the past that the Greek ports or an entity associated with a port in increase their tariff with a very short notice unbalancing the financial planning of the cruise lines and their local representatives. In several occasions Greek port were closed due to strikes or demonstrations of parties which were not even involved directly with the operation of the cruise ports such as taxi owners or fishermen.

Cruise industry contribution

Change of Mentality It will be unfair not to mention the efforts that many of many of the port executives have recently made toward the right directions but there is still a lot of work needed from many other Greek ports. In these difficult times for our country the cruise industry can offer a major financial contribution but also to assist in reinstating the image of our country to the million of the cruise passengers visiting our ports. In order for this to materialize the cooperation and a change of mentality of all involved is necessary. Thank You Capt. G. Koumpenas