Greek Shipping minister Fotis Kouvelis on Monday promised coastal shippers that an up-to 5-percent surcharge to be imposed on companies awarded concessions for specific port services at 10 regional port authorities will not be passed on to the sector, naftemporiki.gr reports.
The proposed surcharge, if ratified, would flow into port authorities’ coffers.
Kouvelis, an out-of-parliament Cabinet member, spoke during debate over a draft law that will allow private operators to assume concessions at the otherwise state urn port authorities. The development comes after a full privatization of the Piraeus and Thessaloniki port authorities in the country, the biggest and busiest such facilities in Greece.
The president of the Greek Shipowners Association For Passenger Ships (SEEN), Michalis Sakellis, directly asked Kouvelis about the surcharge, expressing a concern that operators will simply bump the extra charge to coastal shippers. He called for a written reference in the law prescribing that the surcharge will not be shifted to users.
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