TAIPED, a member company of the Hyperfund/Growthfund, has announced the launch of an international tender process for the further development of the cruise activity in the port of Katakolo, in a part of the old port of Patras and in a part of the Central Port of Kavala “Apostolos Pavlos”.

The tender for the further development of cruise activity in the three ports consists of two parts:

– Section 1: Concession of the right to use, maintain, operate and exploit the port of Katakolo and sub-concession of the right to use, maintain, operate and exploit part of the old port of Patras, within the area of ​​competence of the Patras Port Authority (OLPA S.A.) , with a minimum duration of thirty (30) years.

– Section 2: Sub-concession of the right of use, maintenance, operation and exploitation in a part of the Central Port of Kavala “Apostolos Pavlos”, within the area of ​​competence of the Port of Kavala Organization (POK S.A.), with a minimum duration of thirty (30) years.

Interested parties have the possibility to express interest in only one or both sections of the competition. The tender will be conducted in two phases (A Phase – Pre-selection & B Phase – Submission of Binding Offers). The Fund reserves the right to separate in Phase B of the bidding process the physical objects of Section 1 and to assign to different Preferred Investors the Katakolo port concession contract and the Patras port cruise sub-concession contract. The deadline for expressions of interest is set for February 28, 2025.

The further development of cruise activity in existing and new destinations is in line with the policy to streamline tourist flows in popular cruise ports and address overconcentration phenomena.

The port of Katakolo was ranked among the 10 busiest cruise ports in 2023, mainly due to its proximity to Ancient Olympia, with 206 cruise ships and 390,153 passengers. It has the ability to serve up to three (3) cruise ships with a length of more than 350 meters.

The port of Patras is classified as a port of international importance and is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The old port of Patras has a land area of ​​106,474 sq.m. and the existing masterplan foresees a berth exclusively for cruise ships. In 2023, 13 cruise ships sailed into the port of Patras with 800 passengers.

The central port of Kavala “Apostolos Pavlos” has two berths for serving cruise ships over 200 meters in length. According to data from the Hellenic Ports Association, passenger traffic in the cruise sector reached 21,052 (36 cruise ships) in 2023, ranking the port of Kavala among the 20 cruise ports with the highest traffic last year.