Pressures are increasing towards OLI – A clear timetable for the restoration of equipment is requested
The Heraklion Chamber has made a second intervention towards the Heraklion Port Authority (OLI) in a few days, once again sounding the alarm about the ongoing dysfunction at the city’s commercial port.
As pointed out in a letter to the CEO of OLI, Mr. Minas Papadakis, the President of the Chamber, Mr. Vangelis Karkanakis, the standstill of the loading and unloading cranes and the general lack of functional equipment are causing incalculable consequences for the local economy and trade of Crete.
According to the Chamber, the situation has not only not improved since the first relevant letter in early October, but has also deteriorated significantly, leading to the paralysis of critical port operations.
Ship-owning companies, according to reports, are avoiding approaching Heraklion, while businesses active in the movement and supply of goods are reporting continuous delays, layovers and increased costs.
Mr. Karkanakis emphasizes that “the lack of operational equipment has now taken on dramatic proportions”, as cranes remain out of service for months due to mechanical failures and a lack of spare parts. The result, as he notes, is “the creation of queues and congestion, while businesses that depend on the movement of products are being excessively burdened”.
The Chamber denounces that the issue can no longer be treated as a “technical failure” or “temporary difficulty”, but as a serious malfunction of the management and maintenance of critical infrastructure, which exposes OLI and affects the overall productive and commercial activity of Crete.
For this reason, the Chamber requests from the OLI administration:
a detailed update on the actions that have been taken in the last month,
a clear and realistic timetable for the full restoration of the equipment,
as well as the immediate supply of a new crane, in order to ensure the smooth operation of the port in the future.
As the president of the Chamber emphasizes, the port of Heraklion is an infrastructure of strategic importance for the island, with a direct impact on the economy, trade, and the supply chain. “The OLI administration is called upon to take initiatives to ensure the smooth operation of the port. Every day of delay has significant consequences for the market and the port’s credibility,” he states characteristically.
The Heraklion Chamber of Commerce states that it will continue to closely monitor developments and intervene institutionally, requesting specific solutions and timetables for the restoration of normality in a port that is a key link for the economic activity and exports of Crete.
