Greece News

Greece's security council, KYSEA, approved on Wednesday the purchase of a fourth Belharra frigate from France to modernise its armed forces and as it tries to keep pace with historic rival Turkey, two government sources told Reuters.Greece has a long-standing dispute with its NATO ally Turkey over maritime waters, and the security council meeting comes after Ankara said it would conduct scientific research in the Aegean Sea in the coming days.Athens agreed in 2021 to procure new Belharra frigates for about 3.0 billion euros ($3.3 billion), with an option for one more, as it aims to replace old

The United States wants to expand its energy ties with Greece, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said during a visit to Athens on Thursday, as the Trump administration works to further reduce Russia's oil and gas supplies to Europe.Burgum has been in Europe this week aiming to seal energy supply deals, which the U.S. hopes will strengthen its influence in the region while weakening Russia's.On Wednesday, Greece announced that a consortium including oil major Chevron had bid…

ABS opened the doors on its latest training center, the Hellenic Ship Safety Center in Athens, harnessing the power of new immersive training techniques, game-based learning and virtual reality environments for the Greek shipping community.Greek shipping leaders joined ABS executives at the opening celebration for the new facility that features computer simulation stations, collaboration areas and a training room for virtual reality and game-based scenarios and interaction.The Athens location is the latest in a family of dedicated centers from ABS…

Greece will deploy two frigates and one more vessel off Libya's territorial waters to deter migrants from arriving at its southern islands of Crete and Gavdos, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday.Mitsotakis did not elaborate on the role of the vessels or explain what they would do, but said the move would be in coordination with Libyan authorities and the rest of the European forces operating in the area.Sea arrivals from northeastern Libya of migrants trying to cross to Europe mainly from the Middle East and North Africa…

“Every owner’s playbook needs to keep a line of sight on three things—regulation, technology readiness timelines and boundary conditions – and must include the elements needed for a short-, mid- and long game such as energy retrofits, electrification and nuclear.”That was the message from Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman and CEO, to Greece’s foremost shipowners, ship managers, and charterers at the ABS Hellenic National Committee Meeting.“The solution calculus for owners in today’s operating environment is 70% fuel, 15% energy efficiency and 15% performance optimization.

Libya's internationally recognised government of national unity has objected to Greece's approval of an international tender for hydrocarbon exploration off the island of Crete, saying some of the blocks infringe upon its own maritime zones.The two countries have been trying to mend relations strained by an accord signed in 2019 between the Libyan government and Greece's regional rival Turkey, which mapped out a sea area between them close to the Greek island.Greece opposed the agreement…

Greek shipowners are returning to Russia's Urals oil market as the price slides below the Western price cap of $60 per barrel, allowing them to provide transport and insurance services while complying with sanctions, three trading sources said.The price cap introduced by the Group of Seven countries does not allow Western companies to provide insurance and transport services for Russian oil sold above $60 per barrel at the port of loading.Most Western shipowners have refrained from working with Russian oil since December 2022 as relatively high oil prices kept Urals close to, or above, the price cap. Tankers managed by companies from countries that didn't join the price cap policy have been main shippers of Russian oil since then.In April…

Greece has signed a deal to buy 16 anti-ship missiles from France, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Monday (April 14).The agreement for the French-built Exocet missiles was signed by Dendias and France's Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu who is visiting Athens. The cost of the deal was not disclosed.Under a defence pact with France signed in 2021, Greece agreed to buy three French frigates and some 24 Dassault-made Rafale fighter jets.In addition, Greece has said it will buy a fourth Belharra frigate and cruise missiles from France, as part of a 25-billion-euro defence plan by 2036 to modernise its armed forces as it seeks to keep pace with its neighbour and historical rival Turkey.(Reuters)

Thousands of Greeks gathered in Athens on Wednesday to demand higher wages to cope with rising living costs and a one-day strike left ferries docked at ports, flights grounded and trains at a standstill.Along with air traffic controllers, seafarers and train workers, municipal workers and bus and metro workers in the capital also walked out.Greece has emerged from a 2009-2018 debt crisis which led to rolling cuts in wages and pensions in turn for bailouts worth some 290 billion euros.

Chevron has expressed an interest in hydrocarbon exploration off the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea, the second such expression for Greek energy by the U.S. oil producer this year, the Greek energy ministry said on Wednesday.Greece has accepted Chevron's interest for two blocks south of Crete and will soon decide on the coordinates and on launching an international tender for the areas, which border two licensed blocks where an ExxonMobil-led consortium has been evaluating seismic data…

Greece's tourism jewel, Santorini, welcomed its first cruise ship of the year on Sunday after thousands of small earthquakes in February created a state of emergency, forced thousands to flee and had locals fearing the season would be lost.Millions of tourists flock to Santorini every year, squeezing along its whitewashed cobbled streets to view its famous cliff-top sunset. The increased seismic activity - unprecedented even in a country as quake-prone as Greece - had prompted authorities to shut schools…

Ships docked at Greek ports, and railway and bus services were disrupted on Wednesday as transport workers, hospital doctors, school teachers and construction workers joined a nationwide strike to protest squeezed living standards and demand higher pay.Many Greeks saw their wages and pensions slashed in return for bailouts worth 280 billion euros ($297 billion) during a 2009-2018 debt crisis which shaved a quarter off Greece's economic output and nearly pushed the country out of the eurozone.With the Greek economy recovering firmly since 2018, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre-right g

Viking Life-Saving Equipment won a new order for 11 ambulance boats from the Hellenic Coastguard.The Viking Norsafe Munin S-1200 ambulance boats will be used to support emergency services and auxiliary healthcare in remote areas, including the islands of Thassos, Psara, Agios Efstratios, Fournoi, Kea, Lipsi, Kasos, North Evia, Zakynthos and Creta (Sfakia, and Ierapetra).Manufactured in Greece, the Viking Norsafe Munin S-1200 is the largest boat currently offered by VIKING and is designed to operate safely up to Beaufort force 8 and at wave heights up to 4m.