Greek Shipping Miracle.
“As an issue of national significance” characterized the revival of Greek shipyards, Mr. Panos Xenokostas, President & CEO, ONEX Group during the session “Local Change – Global Footprint Neorion Syros: The Wind of Change – A New Era for the Shipbuilding Sector” in the framework of the USA@TIF2019 TALKS & EVENTS, at the 84th Thessaloniki International Fair, organized by the US Embassy and the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, in Thessaloniki, Greece, on Saturday, September 6, 2019.
In a greeting delivered by the Ambassador of the United States to Greece, Jeffrey Pyatt spoke of the “Miracle of Syros” and the reviving of Greece’s historic shipyard, noting that this is “a win – win situation”.
In addition, the Greek Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Yiannis Vroutsis, as a guest speaker, emphasized that the government’s goal is to create new decent jobs while the Greek General Secretary of the Ministry of Maritime, Evangelos Kyriazopoulos mentioned that “especially the sector of qualitative shipping is of exceptional importance”.
Mr. Xenokostas made a brief presentation of the Neorion Syros Shipyards’ achievements since reoperation and the records succeeded.
It is characteristic that 106 ships of all types were repaired and serviced by the yard since April 2018 and many international and Greek shipowners are showing day by day their trust to Neorion.
Projections for 2020 are for 120-150 ships serviced, at least.
By the same time 685 new jobs were created and re-established, and a massive upgrade program of the yard is activated including the future purchase of a new Aframax floating dock.
Finally, he stressed the “true miracle”: the fact of the contribution to the vertical growth of the shipbuilding industry in Greece by 21%, thanks to the reopening of Neorion.
Relevant resources: Shipyards in Europe.
