Tuesday, September 26, 2023
HomeHeadlinesBright future seen ahead for Sino-Greek shipping cooperation

Subscribe

To our FREE newsletter
Get all the latest maritime news delivered straight to your inbox.

Bright future seen ahead for Sino-Greek shipping cooperation

A bright future lies ahead for Sino-Greek cooperation in shipping, Chinese and Greek speakers told an event at Greece’s Piraeus port on Tuesday.

“Cooperation between China and Greece came initially from the sea, and its future lies in the sea,” said the president of the Association of Banking and Financial Executives of Hellenic Shipping at the event.

George Xiradakis said that Sino-Greek ties in maritime affairs are “strong and long-lasting,” and have benefited the whole world.

Almost 50 percent of energy resources, and 20 percent of other products and goods imported in China are transported by Greek-owned ships. Many Greek shipowners also build their ships in China, Xiradakis told the event.

Chinese Ambassador to Greece Xiao Junzheng said in his speech that in 2022, China’s shipbuilding completions, new orders and pending orders accounted for 47.3 percent, 55.2 percent, and 49 percent respectively of the global total in terms of deadweight tons. The potential of Sino-Greek shipping cooperation should be tapped even further, he added.

Speakers at the event agreed that China’s COSCO Shipping’s investment has transformed Piraeus port since 2008.

Piraeus today is an integrated international maritime center, and a vital driving force in global supply chains, Xiradakis stressed.

COSCO’s investment has boosted Piraeus to the 5th port in Europe, and 9th internationally in the Xinhua-Baltic Shipping Centers Index (ISCD), said Piraeus’ Vassilis Korkidis.

The president of the company’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which co-organized the event, said: “We haven’t forgotten that when we were between the three austerity measures of the EU memoranda, under capital controls with an uncertain future (during the Greek debt crisis in the period 2009-2018), China trusted Greece (…), respected our history and friendship and invested in our country.”

Both Chinese and Greek investors are committed to continuing the sustainable development of the port as a global shipping center, Korkidis added.

Chinese investment in Piraeus has so far created 3,000 direct jobs, and 10,000 indirect jobs. It has also contributed over one billion euros (1.06 billion U.S. dollars) to the local economy, Xiao told the event.

“China and Greece are important partners in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. The two ancient civilizations are learning from each other (…) and there has historically been goodwill between the two countries,” the ambassador said.

Source: Xinhua

Related Posts

Video

Finance & Economy
Shipping News
Ports

Star Bulk Announces the Repurchase of 10 Million of Its Common Shares

Star Bulk announced that it entered into a Repurchase Agreement (with OCM XL Holdings, LP, a limited partnership incorporated in the Cayman Islands, pursuant...

Trafigura announces executive leadership changes

Trafigura Group Pte Ltd. has announced an evolution of its executive team to further strengthen leadership and focus across its global activities during a...

Woori, HMM, KOBC to buy Polaris in prospective $448 mln deal – report

Polaris Shipping Co. is poised to sell its entire stake at around 600 billion won ($447.5 million) to Woori Private Equity Asset Management Co....

Pyxis Tankers Announces Closing of Ultramax JV Investment

Pyxis Tankers, an international shipping company, reported that on September 14, 2023, the Company closed on its previously announced newly formed drybulk joint venture...

Korea’s STX denies rumor that it is backed by Chinese fund

South Korean general trading company STX Corp. has said its largest shareholder is a local investment firm, while refuting the false reports appearing through...

Baltic index rises to over 4-month high on stronger capesize rates

The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry...

Houston-Japan VLGC freight rates reach multi-year high

VLGC freight rates from Houston to Chiba, Japan, reached $245/mt Sept. 21 for the...

Baltic index snaps 11-session rally as rates for larger vessels ease

The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, tracking rates for ships carrying dry bulk...

Baltic index rises for 11th straight session on strong vessel rates

The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index, which tracks rates for ships carrying dry...

The elite of the Shipping Industry meets at the “Maritime Cyprus 2023” Conference

The main theme of this year’s Conference is “Shipping in Action: An agenda for...

Drewry: Port Throughput Index Down 2.1% in July

The Global Container Port Throughput Index fell 2.1% MoM in July 2023, with the small rises recorded in Africa and Oceania having been insufficient...

Vopak: Agreement with Infracapital on sale of Rotterdam chemical terminals

Vopak announces that it has reached an agreement with Infracapital on the sale of its three chemical terminals in Rotterdam (Botlek, TTR and Chemiehaven)...

Port Hedland Iron Ore Exports Edge Up 4% in August

Pilbara Ports Authority has delivered a total monthly throughput of 62.8 million tonnes (Mt) for August 2023, consistent with the August 2022 throughput. The Port...

Thessaloniki, Gdańsk ports to explore synergies

Thessaloniki Port Authority S.A is expanding its role as a port of international importance through a new cooperation with the Port of Gdańsk Authority...

Hapag-Lloyd CEO: Counteroffer for HHLA would not be in our interest

Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said on Thursday that it would not be in the container shipper’s interest to make an offer for HHLA...