Int’l Tender for Port of Volos Cancelled

In international tender to privatize (67%) the Volos port authority will reportedly be cancelled, after a decision by the government and the country’s semi-autonomous privatization agency.

The highest bidder for the port authority was the Thessaloniki Port Authority (OL.Th), controlled by Greek-Russian businessman Ivan Savvidis, with an offer of 51 million euros.

Another bidder, Goldair Cargo A.E. – Goldair Handling Α.Ε., had filed a legal challenge in the tender, after having submitted a bid of 25 million euros. The latter cited a “conflict of interest” in challenging the highest bidder, according to reports.

Media reports citing sources from within the privatization fund, officially called the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), pointed to damage from the storms “Daniel” and “Elias” as altering the situation at the central Greece port city. The privatization fund has previously allocated 9.5 million euros to repair the storm damage at the port.

The same sources said a future exploitation of the port will again be re-evaluated, with the possibility of another Interntional tender being declared on the table.

HRADF had previously cancelled an international tender for the port of Alexandroupolis, in the extreme northeast corner of Greece, just west of the border with Turkey. “National security” reasons were cited at the time, as the war in Ukraine had commenced.

Source: tovima.com