Coastal shipping companies are rather active recently, in view of the initiatives of the Ministry of Shipping to secure European funding for the use of green technologies and the renewal of the coastal fleet.
In this context, many smaller companies are considering their partnership with other larger ones or even the sale of their transport project, as, in addition to securing future financing from the Ministry of Shipping, significant funds are required from the Greek banking system.
At the level of large shipping groups, Attica has already reached an agreement with Stena RoRo for the long-term charter of two vessels, each 200 meters long, to be built in China. The new ships will be certified methanol ready and battery ready, with engines to operate on 3 different types of fuel.
It has also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with ONEX for the possibility of building new ships, while it plans to replace the 3 Aero high-speed ships with 2 new Aeros.
The Grimaldi Group has also proceeded with a new shipbuilding program, whereby two alternative fuel ships are destined for the Minoan Lines.
The Ministry of Shipping has already agreed with the European Commission as well as the competent ministries, such as the Ministry of Transport, for funds of approximately 580 million euros from the NSRF and the Recovery and Resilience Facility, to finance such actions as well as the improvement of port infrastructure, in mainly island destinations.
