Gerasimos Agoudimos, the major stakeholder in GA Ferries, directed barbs in various directions during a press conference last week concerning industry developments. He criticised Merchant Marine Minister Christos Papoutsis and the port authority for favourable treatment of Attica Enterprises, to the detriment of Minoan Flying Dolphins (MFD) and GA Ferries. He said MFD had been targeted in particular while he queried whether it was within EU plans to sell off the Greek passenger ferry industry. Agoudimos noted that Strintzis did not provide a service for isolated islands with its new Blue Star Ithaki but instead obtained a licence to ferry passengers from Rafina to Cycladic isles. He said that if, by September 30, Strintzis does not take up the services it had sought, then MFD will cease undertaking unprofitable routes. As for the issue of doubling the number of staff during peak periods, Agoudimos said this would not occur this year. As a result, he said, the number of scheduled departures had to decrease. Papoutsis responded by saying that the reduction in services only concerned one company, and more specifically, four high-speed passenger vessels. "What concerns us is the citizens, the passenger who wants to go on holiday after a year of hard work… He must not be piled onto the ship but be provided with a high quality of services and safety, in particular," he said. Papoutsis said it was inhumane to have staff on ships working 17- and 18-hour shifts as high-speed vessels did not have facilities allowing employees to rest. He said the boats operated continuously and such labour practices were a threat to health and safety. The dispute between his ministry and ferry lines concerned one single hour, he said. The government had sought an eight-hour shift plus two hours of overtime and one extra hour in the case of emergencies while ferry operators had demanded a total of 12 hours. On the other hand, MFD is considering whether to raise the Greek or EU flag on its new vessels. The company has forwarded a letter to Papoutsis and the port authority chairman concerning the problems being caused by the decision to reduce staff working hours to 10 hours per day.

GA Ferries has acquired a state-of-the-art high speed vessel which is scheduled to undertake the Patras-Kefalonia (Sami)-Ithaki route this month. The firm stated that the approval of its service route application has ended the 40-year monopoly held by Strintzis Lines. The vessel, named "JetFerry 1", is the first of its kind to sail Ionian routes and will allow an additional 5,000 passengers and 1,000 passenger vehicles to be transported to this region on a daily basis. Built at the Norwegian shipyards Mjellem & Karlens in 1995, it is a monohull-type ship and has a length of 95m and width of 17.4m. It can carry 800 passengers plus 175 passenger vehicles or 18 trucks and 50 cars. JetFerry 1 will cut average journey time by half as it travels at a service speed of 34 knots. Travel time from Patras to Sami will take one hour and 25 minutes while the Sami-Ithaki journey will last 25 minutes.

Aker Finnyards to build ferry for Greece

GA ferries of Greece has signed a letter of intent with Finland's Aker Finnyards. It covers construction of a 150 m car passenger ferry for delivery in Spring 2001. It includes an option for a second vessel. The ferry is designed for short international routes and Greek domestic service. With a beam of 25 m, it will be propelled by four diesels with a total output of 50,000 kW, giving it a speed of 29 knots.

GA Ferries currently operates ten vessels. It intends to go public, on the Athens stock exchange, this summer.