The Port of Piraeus Authority's (PPA) mission is to ensure the port's competitive international position, return a profit to its investors, and be a responsible contributor to the social and economic life of Greece. Being the biggest port in Greece, the Port of Piraeus plays a critical role in international trade and is a hub that connects mainland Greece with the islands. It is also a major passenger and international cruise center in the Mediterranean region. The Port of Piraeus Authority employs over 1500 people and serves some 24 thousand ships per year. The PPA develops, upgrades, and maintains Port of Piraeus infrastructure and facilities, including real estate development within the port area.
The Port of Piraeus is the main gateway for Greek imports and exports, and it is the only European port in the eastern Mediterranean that has the infrastructure and facilities to support large volumes of transshipment cargoes.
In 2006, over 24 thousand domestic and foreign vessels called at the Port of Piraeus.
In 2007, the Port of Piraeus handled more than 1.3 million TEUs of containerized cargo. The car terminals handled 619.4 thousand vehicles. In 2007, almost 20 million passengers moved through the Port of Piraeus, including 8.4 million ferry passengers and 1.6 million cruise passengers.
The Port of Piraeus Container Terminal offers tide-free deep-water facilities that can accommodate the largest container vessels. The terminal has two piers today, and a third pier is planned. With total dock length of 2774 meters and a maximum depth of 18 meters, the Port of Piraeus Container Terminal covers 90 hectares and includes over 62 hectares of storage area and a 19.2 thousand square meter container freight station. The container terminal can handle up to 1.8 million TEUs per year.
The Port of Piraeus is investing in several improvements to container terminal facilities. Pier I will be extended to increase terminal capacity by one million TEUs. New super-post-Panamax ship-to-shore cranes and gantry cranes will be added at Pier I. A new port railway station is being added to facilitate the movement of cargoes, and the port management information system will be improved. Further improvements will include the revamping of ship-to-shore equipment at Pier II and a new high-density stacking system that will increase capacity by another one million TEUs. Pier III is scheduled for completion in 2015. It will include a high-density stacking system that will increase capacity by an additional million TEUs.
The Port of Piraeus is a growing hub for the transshipment of automobiles in the eastern Mediterranean. The Port of Piraeus contains three car terminals with a total of 1400 meters of docks that can accommodate five ships at once. The terminals cover 18 hectares and include storage capacity for 12 thousand cars. The car terminals can transship 670 thousand cars per year.
The Port of Piraeus general and dry bulk, including roll-on/roll-off, cargo terminal is located at nearby Keratsini, and liquid cargoes are handled at the wharf in New Ikoniou. The total warehouse area for these cargoes is 25.4 thousand square meters.
The Port of Piraeus is Europe's largest passenger port and one of the largest passenger ports in the world, with some 20 million passengers moving through the port each year. The Port of Piraeus maintains state-of-the-art facilities for passengers and continually improves those facilities. Some of those amenities include three kilometres of pathways for disabled passengers, indoor and outdoor digital information displays, free transport services within the port, six canteens, and free Wi-Fi services.
Passenger vessels use the Central Port of Piraeus, lying between the Themistokleous and Krakari breakwaters. The Central Port is divided into areas for coastal shipping and cruise ships. The Port of Piraeus offers berthing positions to accommodate 11 cruise ships at the same time and can handle the largest of cruise vessels. The cruise facilities include two passenger terminals and a heliport.
The Port of Piraeus Authority provides a wide range of services for vessels including water, electricity and telephone links to ships. Ship repair services are provided by private shipbuilding units within the port. The Port of Piraeus contains two dry docks and two floating docks for ship repairs. The large dry dock can accommodate ships from 105 to 130 meters long and 18.8 meters wide, while the small dry dock can handle vessels from 19 to 79 meters in length and 12.8 meters in width. The large floating dock can handle vessels from 130 to 201 meters long with 12.8 meters width, while the small floating dock can accommodate vessels from 79 to 105 meters long with 18 meters width. The Port of Piraeus' Ship Repair Zone is located in nearby Perama, and there are many small- and medium-sized ship repair units.
The Port of Piraeus employs the latest information technologies to provide the best level of service to its customers. The Port-Management Information System covers corporate, administrative, and financial services for the Port of Piraeus Authority. The Bus Fleet Management System provides real-time information for passengers moving inside Passenger Port area. The Passenger Information Display System provides timely information on vessel arrivals and departures for passengers. Other information management systems help manage the car terminals, waste management facilities, and digital telephone centers.
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