The ancient Greek dramatist Aristophanes once wrote about the port of Piraeus: “People shouted at the crowd around the captain, buying leather, leather belts, jars, or garlic and olive oil, netted onions, garlands, anchovies . . . The statue of Athena on the bow was gilded. Under the pier, there was the sound of hammers hitting pegs, drilling oar holes, reed flutes and panpipes, boatswain, and birdsong." At that time, The port of Piraeus is full of people, business and travel are endless, and the bustling scene is the same for a while, and the stories about the port of Piraeus are as numerous as splendid stars.

In Greek, Piraeus means "the place to guard the passage". Since the port was established in more than 400 BC, the unique geographical advantage has made the port of Piraeus occupy an important position in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the gateway to the Atlantic Ocean through the Mediterranean Sea. , An important transit port to the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea, and a hub connecting Asia, Europe and Africa, watching the "South Gate" of Europe.

The fate of the port of Piraeus has been up and down many times. Many years ago, the port of Piraeus was in bad shape, and a large number of shipowners once abandoned the port. In recent years, the cooperation between China and Greece on the Belt and Road has brought the port of Piraeus to a great development. At present, the global ranking of the Port of Piraeus has significantly improved from the 93rd in 2010 to the 25th, becoming one of the fastest growing container ports in the world. As the business card of the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, the port of Piraeus is now full of vitality, bringing happiness and fulfillment to the local people.

The Belt and Road brings new life to ports

In 2005, Greece was plunged into the European debt crisis, and the economy was greatly impacted. Workers of many enterprises began to hold large-scale strikes. The operation of Piraeus port was also bleak. At that time, there were only 12 yellow buildings in Piraeus port. The old quayside cranes, the ships passing by were diverted to other ports, and many locals left their homes and went abroad to make a living. The port of Piraeus was defeated in the competition with other modern ports.

Behind the unsustainable port operation is the long-term weak finances of the Greek government. But in the end, the fatal blow to the port of Piraeus was the double blow of the 2008 international financial crisis and the Greek debt crisis. In the following eight years, the Greek economy fell into a quagmire of long-term negative growth, with GDP shrinking by 26% in eight years, comparable to the "Great Depression" period in the United States. At that time, the port of Piraeus lost 13 million euros and almost lost its customers. The Piraeus Port Authority, which manages it, is struggling to get financial support and conduct business.

The arrival of Chinese companies has turned the Piraeus port for a turn. On October 30, 2008, COSCO SHIPPING successfully won the bid and obtained the 35-year franchise right of container terminals No. 2 and No. 3 in Piraeus Port. "Since then, China's investment influence in Greece has continued to increase. This is also the starting point of the 'new life' of the Piraeus port." Commented Nix Maginas, chief economist of the Central Bank of Greece.

In terms of port management and construction and market development, COSCO SHIPPING has made a series of "dramatic" actions: investing more than 300 million US dollars to renovate the wharf and updating all port equipment; implementing the international ship and wharf safety fee project, and adopting the imported heavy container automatic weighing system , strictly control various costs and expenses; focus on developing the international market and improve the customer service level of the terminal in response to the small problem of the local market. A series of measures put Piraeus Port on the track of normal development very soon. Three months later, it began to realize monthly profits continuously, and the production and operation conditions have undergone fundamental changes. By the end of May 2012, the Port of Piraeus had completely turned losses. In August 2016, COSCO SHIPPING completed the acquisition of 67% of the shares of the Piraeus Port Authority and officially took over the management and operation of the port.

The lost ship owner has returned to the port of Piraeus. After more than 10 years of hard work, the six business sectors of container terminal, cruise terminal, automobile terminal, ship repair and shipbuilding, ferry terminal, and logistics and warehousing have been put into operation in Piraeus Port successively, forming an integrated system covering shipping, ports and integrated logistics. an industrial chain. The shipowner also returned to the port of Piraeus. It is understood that the three major alliances in the container shipping industry have all become long-term customers of Piraeus Port, ensuring a stable business volume of 200 ships calling each month. They also brought more resources such as 15 ocean trunk lines and 51 European regional lines.

Greece, located at the intersection of the Maritime Silk Road and the Land Silk Road, is the first European developed country to sign a memorandum of understanding with China to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative. As a sea-land intermodal transport hub, Piraeus Port is an important fulcrum for China and Greece to jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative. Behind the revival of Piraeus Port, the background of China-Greece Belt and Road cooperation is inseparable. If COSCO SHIPPING’s investment in Piraeus port is “sending charcoal in the snow”, then the Belt and Road Initiative is the “accelerator” that makes the charcoal burn.

Greek President Pavlopoulos commented on the Port of Piraeus: "The Port of Piraeus is an important hub from China and Asia to Europe. The investment of COSCO Shipping in the Port of Piraeus is a model of harmonious coexistence, mutual benefit and win-win between the two parties."

Piraeus port helps smooth trade between China and Europe

For a long time, despite occupying a superior geographical location, the port of Piraeus is only a purely local port, both port services and radiation areas are very limited, and most of the ships berthed here are only destined for Greece. In order to make the Piraeus Port play a greater pivotal role in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and bring benefits to more neighboring countries, COSCO SHIPPING has integrated its own comprehensive advantages in the maritime route network and the construction of the Piraeus Port hub port. It has opened up a new trade channel between China and Central and Eastern Europe - "China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line".

The first train loaded with Chinese goods launched by COSCO Shipping arrived in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, from the port of Piraeus, marking the official opening of China-Europe land-sea express transport. "The port of Piraeus is the end point and the starting point. The two-way land-sea intermodal transport channel connects Asia and Europe." The person in charge of the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line Company introduced that compared with the traditional route, the sea freight is in Piraeus. After the port is docked, it can be transported to Austria, Hungary, Czech and other Central and Eastern European countries by rail, which can save 7 to 11 days and greatly reduce the transportation cost.

With the port of Piraeus as the hub, the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road are perfectly connected in Europe in the form of sea-rail combined transportation. Seeing business opportunities, internationally renowned companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Samsung and Sony have started to set up logistics distribution centers in Piraeus Port. At present, the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line covers 9 countries, more than 1,500 outlets, and a population of 71 million, making the connection of the entire European inland more efficient and convenient. This line has become the largest customer of the Serbian Railway Company, and has accelerated the development of cooperation with the railway companies of Germany, Austria and other countries.

It is worth noting that under the influence of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the decline in container throughput at the port of Piraeus is significantly lower than the level of other regions in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. In this regard, Greek media have reported that COSCO SHIPPING has improved the competitiveness of the Greek port of Piraeus, precisely because many goods shipped from Asia to Europe by sea and land are transited here, enhancing the port's ability to withstand the impact of the epidemic. Today, the Port of Piraeus has been assessed by the Baltic Exchange to return to the ranks of the "Top Ten Hub Ports in the World", and will transform from a single-function port to a comprehensive service port.

On November 11, 2019, during his visit to Greece, President Xi Jinping made a special trip to visit the port of Piraeus, saying, "We must solidly improve the level of practical cooperation in various fields, and take the Piraeus port project as the leader to continuously expand the fields of cooperation. , expand the scale of investment... I believe that the prospects of Piraeus port are limitless, and the results of cooperation will continue to benefit the people of the two countries and the region." China and Greece subsequently announced that they would continue to promote the 611.8 million euro project invested by COSCO SHIPPING in Piraeus Port, further deepening the cooperation between the two sides.

In recent years, the head projects represented by the port of Piraeus have become the main driving force for the growth of bilateral trade. At the same time, outstanding Chinese-funded enterprises represented by COSCO SHIPPING are flourishing in Greece and have produced good political, economic and social benefits. On October 25, 2021, COSCO SHIPPING Group Co., Ltd. acquired the second-phase equity delivery confirmation of the Piraeus Port Authority of Greece. The exchange ceremony of the confirmation letter was held in Beijing, China, Athens, Greece, and Piraeus ports by video link. The three places are held simultaneously. So far, COSCO SHIPPING has completed the acquisition of a 67% stake in the Piraeus Port Authority.

Up to now, China's industry-wide direct investment stock in Greece has reached 240 million US dollars, and China-Greece cooperation in infrastructure, shipping, culture, science and technology, tourism, education, etc. has been continuously expanded. Experts believe that after Greece joins the "17+1" cooperation mechanism, the future cooperation between China and Greece will have unlimited potential.

Chinese enterprises integrate into the local area

As early as the 5th century BC, Chinese silk was transported by sea to the port of Piraeus, and then sold all over Greece. Historically, the Chinese civilization and the Greek civilization have been in harmony with each other. COSCO SHIPPING was able to quickly integrate into the operation of Piraeus Port, and cultural integration and people-to-people bonds played a crucial role.

The operation of COSCO SHIPPING in the port of Piraeus has not been smooth sailing. At the beginning of taking over the port of Piraeus, restoring order, stabilizing people's hearts, and boosting business... COSCO SHIPPING faced multiple challenges. Fu Chengqiu, president of COSCO SHIPPING Piraeus Port Co., Ltd., clearly remembered the difficult start that year. He recalled, “At that time, workers blocked doors and went on strike frequently, and locals were worried that the Chinese would seize their country’s resources and jobs.”

To this end, COSCO SHIPPING issued the "Notice to Employees", and the management solemnly promised that the Chinese management team will not take away every grass, tree, stone and pillar here; COSCO people should love Piraeus as much as their own eyes. port, and modernize the port of Piraeus; no matter the past, present or future, the port of Piraeus will always belong to the Greek people.

Thassos Vamwajidis, a Greek employee and commercial manager of COSCO SHIPPING Piraeus Container Terminal Co., Ltd., said convincingly: "COSCO SHIPPING's management team is not only approachable and easy to communicate, but also keeps its promises. They are not here Those who rob us of our jobs have created more employment opportunities." Thassos has been working in the company for 12 years and is one of the earliest employees in the local area. He has truly experienced the oriental culture and management wisdom of Chinese enterprises, which are efficient, pragmatic, and transparent in communication. Afterwards, Thassos shared his experience with the workers and called on everyone to actively participate in the work of improving the business volume and management level of the terminal.

Under the joint care of China and Greece, the current Piraeus Port is full of vitality. On the sea, large container ships and luxury cruise ships frequently enter and exit; on the dock, container trailers shuttle quickly; along the China-Europe Land-Sea Express Line starting from the port of Piraeus, containers containing South Korean Samsung electronic products are seamlessly transported to Slovakia ...a busy scene of a modern marina. Apparently, the worries of Piraeus porters have long since been thrown into the Mediterranean. Until today, there are only 23 Chinese managers in this port, which is controlled by two-thirds of the Chinese company, while the port provides locals with 3,000 direct employment opportunities and more than 10,000 indirect employment opportunities. "The port of Piraeus will always be the port of Piraeus for the Greek people." Chinese companies have kept their promises and won trust.

COSCO SHIPPING's cross-cultural management concepts and practices have brought a strong "Chinese-style warmth": the company provides free lunches for Greek employees, and allows employees to manage the restaurant independently; every Christmas or New Year, the company invites 14-year-old family members The employees of the following children brought their children to the company for a party, and thoughtfully prepared gifts for each child; every year, 4 Greek "foreign model workers" were selected and awarded a free one-week trip to China; in production, special attention was paid to the safety of Greek employees, Eliminating hidden dangers in a timely manner can make everyone work with peace of mind... The management method like the spring breeze can upgrade trust to integration, and then transform it into a more powerful development force.

Nowadays, in the streets and alleys of Athens, when Greeks see oriental faces, they often kindly ask: "Are you from China, from COSCO Shipping?" Chinese companies have been recognized and welcomed by the Greek people. Looking at the prosperous port of Piraeus day by day, Thassos said proudly: "As a 'child of Piraeus', I am proud of the achievements of the port of Piraeus, very happy Participate in the construction and witness the splendor of the port of Piraeus today." Both Thassos' father and son work in the port of Piraeus. When it comes to the reason why his son chose Piraeus port for college graduation, he is not without pride: "Of course it is because I am so satisfied with my job here." He said: "Our whole family believes that Piraeus Hong Kong will definitely have a better tomorrow!"

The story of the "rebirth" of the port of Piraeus is moving. Eight years after the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, the Piraeus Port project has become a model for China and the countries along the Belt and Road to discuss, build and share together. life expectancy. The land and sea are connected here, and civilization shines here, illuminating the future of this ancient port. Editor / Xu Shengpeng