Privatization of Igouminitsa port between Greek state, Grimaldi group finalized

Italy-based Grimaldi group, a major coastal shipper, and the Greek state’s privatization agency on Friday finalized a contract transferring 67-percent of shares in the Igoumenitsa port authority, and its management, to the latter.

The agreement was signed in the same-name port city in extreme northwest Greece, the western-most terminus of the Egnatia tollway and a hub for ferry boats plying routes to Italian ports.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis led a top government delegation attending the ceremony, where he noted that the “transfer of management of the port of Igoumenitsa to a major shipping giant, such as the Grimaldi group, means more growth for both the national and the local economy. It’s an important investment with significant revenues for HRADF (the privatization agency), with more than 84 million euros going into the public coffers.”

In later statements from the lake-side city of Ioannina, the historic capital of mountainous Epirus province, Mitsotakis said “Greece is a positive surprise amid an environment of plenty of bad news, having set in motion a very dynamic growth course, and with its public finances in absolutely good order.”