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INFRASTRUCTUREPiraeusGreece’s Main PortPuts on a New FaceThe largest port in Greece is in a race against time. By 2004, 17 major projects relatedto the Olympic Games will have been completed, including a tramline, two new marinas, anunderground parking lot for 700 cars, and new berths for cruise ships. Piraeus' renewal effortswill continue after the Olympic Games, when its ú600 million face-lift will be completed.Piraeus’ image and stature havebeen suffering for years. In the1980s, more than 300 industrialcompanies and more than 1,000trading companies closed, eliminatingthousands of jobs. In the 1990s, shippingcompanies, which had traditionallybeen headquartered in the area,began moving away, to the north of thecity. The importance of the oncemighty financial center was eroding.But EU Third Community SupportFramework funds and Olympic Gamesfunding are beginning to heal thewounds inflicted on Piraeus. Nextyear, 2004, will be a landmark for Piraeusand its residents, when a varietyof important projects will have beencompleted. Among them are the renovationof the Flisvos and Zea marinas,the renovation of the area surroundingPiraeus Port Authorities S.A. (OLP)conference facility, the restoration ofthe historic center, and the renovationof the Peace and Friendship Stadium.In addition, the city's university willhave a new home at the site of a formerretsina factory.The projects, now underway, areturning many areas of the city intoheavy construction sites but will have agreat impact on changing the image ofPiraeus. New berths for cruise ships, anew 5-star hotel in the Palataki area,and the creation of a new passengerstation in the Vassiliadis area are theprimary projects planned for the centralport. It is estimated that on the basisof the elaborate plan, the total costof all the public works projects in Piraeuswill exceed ú600 million.Port construction projectsvalued at ú45 millionAccording to data published in the"Piraeus in 2004" white paper, worksat the central port alone are estimatedto have a value of ú45 million. Thenew berths for cruise ships are in thefinal stages of construction and whenthey are completed passenger transportcapacity will increase by 30%.According to officials, there will be7,000 cruise ship cabins availableduring the Games, 30% of which willbe assigned to the Olympics OrganizingCommittee. The rest will be availableto the public. The new passengerstation will have been completed byDecember 2003, and the hotel atPalataki in December 2004. Themodern water supply network in thecentral port is expected to be concludedin December 2003, the landscapingof the surrounding area in March2004, and the construction of the undergroundparking lot, with a capacityof 700 parking spaces, in July 2004.According to the white paper, thePeace and Friendship Stadium willhave been renovated by December2003—along with the marina behindthe stadium—while the Piraeus MunicipalTheater is expected to be completelyrestored by April 2005.12 AEGEAN NEWS SPRING 2003