Athens-Tours-ContemporaryGreece

Introduction :

http://mediterraneen.crdp-aix-marseille.fr/mediter13/echanger/ech_le-piree.htm

  The Piraeus is a city situated in the suburbs of the capital city, Athens, at the weark of the region of Attic in Greece.

https://www.google.fr/maps/place/Le+Pir%C3%A9e,+Gr%C3%A8ce/@38.0443443,23.7778068,10z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x149eff8d3b1eed19:0x300bd2ce2b98080

  It's also a huge marine and container port. The most frequented of Greece and also the largest of Europe.

  The Piraeus has a marina, mostly tourristic. It offers various equipement an means of transport ( bus, boat, maritime shuttle), making the central harbour a hub of commercial and passenger slipping.

                                                              THE MARINA

http://www.quizz.biz/quizz-307672.html

                                                             THE SEAPORT

http://www.nvm.fr/le-piree-le-port-dathenes/

1. The Greek government rents part of the harbour of goods to earn money because it is involved in debt.

  The harbour of goods accomodates a large number of cargo liners of goods, often coming from China because since 2008, it is rented partly by a Chinese company : Cosco global shipping giant.

  Cosco has many activities. It is primarily an owner renting ships to other companies. It also carries goods on ships.It is also renting containers in the harbour to store the merchandises.

  Cosco is a transnational firm because itrs leaders are working in Beijing, but its ships cross the oceans and stores are located on many continents.

http://www.challenges.fr/economie/20130507.CHA9156/le-port-d-athenes-bat-pavillon-chinois.html

2- The strategie of Cosco

The canal of Suez in Egypt permits to shorten the maritime itinerary between China and Europe.

http://www.voxeu.org/article/1967-75-suez-canal-closure-lessons-trade

Indeed, the Pireus is the nearest European shipping harbour to the canal of Suez. That's why Cosco, a giant shipping company owned by the chinese government, has chosen to lease the Pireus port.

3- Discontent Greek workers.

The dockers (Greek employees who load and unload cargo) ships went on strike because Cosco dismissed many Greek dockers, so they no longer want Cosco to run the port. This is a very long strike. They pronounced the speech "Cosco go home" because they work more to earn lower wages than before, when the Greek government owned the port.

Conclusion :

Lots of arrangements have been put to improve performance. The merchandises arriving in Piraeus by train will soon be sent very quickly to the port of Piraeus to leave Europe on a container ship and vice versa. Moreover a new terminal is being built to accomodate larger boats.

      There are 270 employees working in terminal 2. They are  members of the Piraeus Container Terminal ( PCT ).

With the needs related to the arrivals of the boats , the company uses  a subcontractor for a hundred of the additional employees  day to day .

The unions are angry with it.

http://www.liberation.fr/economie/2009/10/12/au-piree-la-greve-des-dockers-empire_587196

In this harbour, there are 2 terminals but  terminal  n°2 is much  bigger than terminal n°1. It is 5 times taller.

http://www.lantenne.com/Port-du-Piree-les-dockers-de-Cosco-ont-repris-le-travail_a19166.html

http://www.lepoint.fr/images/2012/02/20/piree-grece-508325-jpg_347846.JPG

So , the chinese ( company Cosco ) bought the management of this platform for 3,4 million Euros during 35 years.

During this, we don't know that it takes place because the terminal n°2 is closed. We don't know if the Chinese do illegal trafic like drug, weapons or other types of trafic.They hire illegal immigrants without insurance(assurance), and nobody controls them. They work every Sunday, on holidays do not respect any more the Greek labor law. The Chinese law rules this place for the 1st time. In addition to that, the Chinese have a means to settle down in the rest of Europe.
China is the 7th business partner of Greece and hope to become 1st in the years to come.
On the whole in 2010, 14 contracts were signed between Greece and China, concerning sea traffic, tourism, and local products like olive oil or Greek wine.
For that purpose, Cosco built a third pier.

http://french.alibaba.com/product-gs/sea-shipping-of-fcl-services-from-shanghai-china-to-piraeus-greece-by-cosco-545462029.html

http://www.mfa.gr/fr/actualite/a-la-une/ceremonie-de-remise-de-decoration-au-president-de-la-societe-chinoise-cosco-le-capitaine-wei-jiafu-par-le-vice-president-du-gouvernement-et-ministre-des-affaires-etrangeres-evangelos-venizelos.html