THESSALONIKI

THE PORT OF THESSALONIKI

The port of Thessaloniki is a European port and the natural gateway for the economic activities of the inland markets beyond Greece. It serves the growing needs of those countries for the import and export of raw material, consumer products and capital equipment. The port is a vital element of the country's economy while it also plays a substantial role in the effort of Northern Greece and its centre city to be established as the economic centre of the Eastern Mediterranean.
The port enjoys a privileged position being located at the crossroad of land transportation networks:

  • East-West via the Egnatia Highway
  • South-North via the P.A.Th.E. highway network
  • The European corridors IV and X.

Moreover, Thessaloniki's port is at a driving distance of 16 kilometers from the International “Macedonia” Airport and at a mere kilometer from the Railway Station.

Services provided:

Cargos: Loading, unloading, servicing and storage of all kinds of cargos (containers, bulk and general cargo) from - to: ships, trucks and rail wagons.

Ships: Anchoring, mooring, water supply, power - telecommunication supply, ship's garbage management.

Passengers: Modern passenger terminal providing ships and cruise liners passengers with a plethora of services.
Other services:

Leasing of storage space for port activities in the Free Zone and the Free Port
Usual handling with or without customs supervision.

The port area hosts the following:

Harbour Master's Office
Customs Control Offices
Sanitary and Veterinary Control Station
State Chemical Laboratory
Hellenic Railways Company offices
Fire Brigade Station
Pilotage (VHF Channel 12, Range 16-24 kms)
Towage (Radiophone communication and VHF Channel 8)
Lashing/Unlashing companies

Container terminal:
The containers are handled through a specially arranged area located in the western part of pier 6. The 550m long and 340m wide Container Terminal can berth ships with a draught of 12m. Being part of the Free Zone, it covers a surface area of 254,000 m2 with an on-site storage capacity of 4,696 TEUs in ground slots.
The Container Terminal was designed and created in accordance with state-of-the-art technologies and is equipped with modern container handling equipment. The terminal includes manned technical support facilities. Four cranes are used for container loading-unloading services (2 post panamax).
The Container Terminal is linked by a double track railway to the national railway networks.

Conventional cargo terminal:
Conventional cargo is accommodated in the Terrestrial Zone of Thessaloniki’s port in an area extending on a total surface of approximately 1,000,000 m2 with quay length of 4,000m and depth up to 12m. Quays 10 to 14 constitute the conventional cargo Free Port. The Free Port handles:

  • Community cargo from/to EU member states and
  • Community/domestic cargo from/to Greek harbours.

Quays 15 to 24 constitute the conventional cargo terminal of the Free Zone. Cargos of all origins and destinations, including the above, are handled in the Free Zone, such as:

  • General Cargo (steelwork products, metal sheets, timber, marble, pallet cargo, tobacco, fruits, etc)
  • Solid Bulk Cargo (minerals, ores, coal, solid fuel, cereals, feed stuffs, fertilizers, cement, scrap)
  • Liquid Bulk Cargo with pipelines (spirits, chloroform, asphalt, chemicals, mineral oils, wine)
  • Ro-Ro vehicles.

The storage of conventional cargos takes place in:

  • Warehouses: 85,000 m2 (out of which 21,500 m2 and a reefer warehouse of 4,000 m2 are located in the Free Zone)
  • Sheds: 12,000 m2
  • Outdoor Storage Areas: 500,000 m2
  • Silo of 20,000 tonnes.

Passenger terminal:
The passenger port of Thessaloniki meets the needs of passenger sea transport (coastal and cruise). Is located between Pier 1 and 2 and includes 5 docks in total. Docks no 4-8 can facilitate up to 4 ships simultaneously (if they berth with the stern) or alternatively they can facilitate one big ship (up to 4000m) or 2 medium sized ships (each one of 200m max.) if they berth alongside the pier. Dock 9 can facilitate a ship up to 260m (berthing alongside the pier). The port basin provides sufficient space and depth for cruise ship maneuvering.
The passenger traffic is facilitated by a modern cruise passenger terminal located near (500m) the city centre. The “Macedonia” cruise passenger terminal is hosted in a renovated neoclassical building. Its high specification and modern facilities meet the requirements of the Schengen treaty. The terminal includes Duty Free shops and Infokiosk that contribute to the creation of a friendly environment and to the provision of high quality services to passengers.
The services offered to passengers include: free luggage storage, air-conditioned lounges, bars, card phones, luggage trucks, taxi station, parking for private cars and the tourist buses and information points for the tourist offices.