APM Terminals, part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, said it is interested in buying into the Greek ports Piraeus and Thessaloniki, slated for privatization if a new bailout deal is agreed between Athens and the European Union, reports Reuters.
Maersk will participate in the bidding process for two of the largest Greek ports – Piraeus and Thessaloniki – after the country’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras brought the sale of the ports on the table in today’s bailout proposal, Bloomberg reports.
"Yes, we are interested in the Greek ports of Piraeus and Thessaloniki and are pursuing them as part of our growth plans. Our interest has been consistent throughout the economic and political cycles of the country," Francois Delenclos, Vice President of Business Development at APM Terminals, said.
The binding bid dates for the two ports will be announced by end-October 2015 the latest, the proposal stated.
The Syria government took office in January partly on the promise to end austerity measures and stop a number of privatisations, including the sale of the state-owned ports.
The previous government led by Antonis Samaras had shortlisted five companies, including Cosco, for a 67% stake in the port of Piraeus, but the sale was scrapped by the newly elected leftist government led by Tsipras.
However, faced with the increasing pressure from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, the Tsipras-led government today reportedly accepted to meet the majority of demands imposed by creditors, many of which were rejected in the recent referendum, for a EUR 53.5 billion bailout.