“The safety of coastal shipping is our first priority,” Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Christos Stylianidis said on Thursday after visiting the port of Piraeus and specifically the E-7 gate ahead of the departures for Easter.
It is noted that the updated circular of the ministry is now applied for the transport of vehicles with alternative fuels on the coastal shipping vessels, setting specific conditions, such as the charging level of electric vehicles that must not exceed 40%, while for those powered by liquid gas or natural gas the their tanks should not contain more than 50% fuel.
Stylianidis noted that high standards should be observed for the safety of passengers and crews of coastal shipping, adding that this is the importance of all controls carried out by the Port Authority. Referring to the update of the circular for the transport of vehicles using alternative AFVS fuels that set specific conditions for passengers and crews, he said that there are specific instructions and recommendations from the European Maritime Safety Agency emsa and everyone should be disciplined and follow them, stressing that “we should not risk anything.”
In view of the Easter departures, the minister emphasized that teams from the port authority will strictly supervise the observance of the transport measure of the specific vehicles.
The traffic has increased since Thursday morning at the port of Piraeus as 22 ship itineraries with 25,574 passenger departures have been scheduled for today and 10 departures with 10,870 passengers from the port of Rafina.
