Ancient civilizations joining hands in Aegean

Greece’s biggest port, Port of Piraeus, which is majority owned and operated by a Chinese company, has become an ideal workplace for locals.

“We feel like the company has a promising future,” said Nektarios Demenopoulos, deputy manager of public relations of Piraeus Port Authority, adding that because of the country’s financial difficulties, it is not “an average case for Greek companies”.

“The bigger the port grows, the better it is for local people, because it means more jobs,” said Nikos Katsafados, a forklift operator at the dock.

The 27-year-old is happy to work at the port and he said the salary is good. He earns 1,200 euros ($1,393) a month.

Nikolaos Petsos, a staff member at the insurance and claims department of Piraeus Container Terminal, noted that the port’s container throughput has grown dramatically since China has become involved.

“I want to be a part of the success,” he said.

Piraeus, about 30 minutes’ drive from Greece’s capital, Athens, the root of Western civilization, is Asia’s gateway to Europe and North Africa, thanks to its strategic location.

Amid the Balkan country’s ongoing financial woes, the port operated at a loss for many years. In 2010, it was 8.11 million euros in the red and handled just 880,000 TEUs (standard 20-foot equivalent units) of cargo. But with the Chinese company’s involvement, in 2017 the port saw a 48 million euro profit, handling 4.15 million TEUs of cargo. The port’s global ranking climbed to 36 from 93 in container throughput over the seven-year stretch.

A turnaround has been seen since management of Pier 2 and Pier 3 were taken over by COSCO Shipping in 2010 — where Demenopoulos, Katsafados and Petsos work.

In 2016, COSCO Shipping took a 67 percent stake in the entire port.

Fu Chengqiu, president of Piraeus Port Authority, said there were initial worries among the Greeks, but he believed the concerns resulted from a lack of communication.

He gave his word to locals that the company would leave hiring decisions to locals.

Demenopoulos, Katsafados and Petsos were all born and raised in Piraeus.

The two subsidiaries of COSCO Shipping in Piraeus — Piraeus Container Terminal and Piraeus Port Authority — have 14 Chinese and about 2,600 Greek employees.

In addition, since the Chinese involvement, the port has created 8,000 indirect jobs, benefiting local workers.

“Working in accordance with local laws, conforming to local culture, fully inspiring local employees and sharing corporate growth and benefits with locals are keys for the port to be successful,” Fu said.

Demenopoulos also said there were initial concerns among employees about the new management team.

“But now it is about two years on, and I can say that the new management is very confident and trusts local personnel,” he said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which consists of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 to boost interconnectivity and free trade between Asia and the rest of the world.

Xi stressed infrastructure connectivity when he delivered a keynote speech in May 2017 at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. He called for promoting land, maritime, air and cyberspace connectivity, focusing on key passageways, cities and projects and connecting networks of highways, railways and seaports.

Demenopoulos agreed. He sees the initiative as a great opportunity for Piraeus to connect to the world.

“It gives Piraeus the opportunity to become the top port in the Mediterranean,” he said.

The bigger the port grows, the better it is for local people, because it means more jobs.” Nikos Katsafados, a forklift operator at Port of Piraeus