VOLOS 19-6-2026
The new Secretary General of Shipping and Ports, Emmanuel Koutoulakis, visited the Volos Port Authority on Friday, June 19, 2026, for the first time after assuming his duties, making his first official visit to a port.
Accompanied by the ND MPs for Magnesia, Mr. Zetta Makris and Christos Boukoros, as well as by the president of the Magnesia NODE, Mr. Nikos Athanasakis, the new Secretary General visited the Volos Port Authority, where he was welcomed by the CEO of the OLV, Mr. Socrates Anagnostou.
During the meeting, Mr. Anagnostou raised a number of important issues concerning the operation and development of the port, including the restoration of the port's operational depths after the serious impacts caused by the extreme weather events Daniel and Elias in 2023. The project to restore the operational depths was included in the Strategic Investments regime, however, during its execution, urban waste was discovered, which came from an Uncontrolled Waste Disposal Site (UDS), which had been located on the banks of the torrent, which, with the force of its waters, revealed them (as they were buried) and carried them to the bottom of the port.
Also, issues of investments in port facilities and equipment were raised, as well as issues concerning the company's personnel, regarding departures, as due to the existing labor framework, the Port Authority is obliged to follow a specific remuneration regime.
In addition, the need to subsidize the Volos Port Authority from Green Fund resources was discussed, due to the loss of revenue resulting from relevant legislative regulation by the Ministry of Shipping and Insular Policy, as well as the major issue of connecting the port of Volos with the port of Alexandria in Egypt.
For his part, the Secretary General appeared positive in examining the requests raised and committed to collaborations, aiming to promote the issues. At the same time, he expressed his will to soon proceed to a meeting with the involved bodies, in order to assist to the extent he can in the implementation of the connection between the port of Volos and the port of Alexandria.
