Paphos Life

What actually changed to cause the recent delays since the port was privatized; what procedures there changed?
Geoff.

Having to work!

Or not, as the case may be....

http://cyprusbusinessmail.com/?p=40710

They stage a blockade to protest about delays???

Merchants warn of port disaster, severe shortages


MERCHANTS warned on Friday that should lorry drivers continue to refuse to pick up containers from Limassol port, there will be a shortage of goods in the market very soon with an impact on the economy worth millions of euros.

The prolonged protest by truck drivers outside the container terminal over delays during loading and unloading at the port, led to the stacking of more than 2,000 containers, while the number is increasing by the day, Eurogate said on Friday. Eurogate assumed the responsibility for the container business at the Limassol port in late January.

As negotiations between the lorry drivers, Eurogate and Transport minister Marios Demetriades continue, importers and exporters are not happy waiting for their merchandise to be delivered or picked up at the port.



Importers of foodstuff and pharmaceuticals warn that this could lead to shortages, while farmers say that the delay in the import of products necessary for the cultivation of their crops could hurt their production.

“The continued refusal by truckers to cooperate by picking up goods from the port is irresponsible towards their business clients and by extension workers and consumers who will begin to experience shortages in the market,” the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve) said in an announcement. It added that the truckers’ behaviour was “unacceptable and with disastrous consequences” to the economy.

“The port is an essential service for the smooth operation of the state,” Keve said.

According to the chairman of the Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB), Christos Michaelides, the situation at the port has already had a huge impact on businesses.

“For an exporter, this affects production but it also causes a huge liquidity problem. This concerns not just frozen foodstuff but cars too, as businesses cannot put their products out on the market,” Michaelides told the Cyprus Mail.

The situation is tragic, he said.

“Now is not the time to start putting the blame on anyone, although everyone bears their share of blame as things went wrong – the government agreement with the private investor, Eurogate’s procedures – what’s important is for the ports to resume operations immediately. We all need to work collectively to achieve this,” he said.

Michaelides said that first and foremost, Eurogate needs to get working as regards organisation and technology systems and the rest need to be patient.

For importers, however, patience is running out as they face numerous problems with their goods stuck at the port.

“This had greatly affected businesses and if this continues, there will be shortages in the market,” Antonis Takkos, Logistics Officer at Vassos Eliades told the Cyprus Mail.

“Our main product, Nescafe, is at the port. There are products no longer in stock,” Takkos said.

He added that as goods remain at the port companies face additional costs imposed by shipping lines for every container held up due to the delays, but there are no clear answers from the port as to where the problem lies.

“Others say it’s the transport, others say it’s the delays,” he said.

But the chaotic situation at the port has also affected the import of pharmaceuticals slated for state hospitals.

Avgoustinos Potamitis, chairman of the Cyprus Pharmaceutical Association (CPA), did not rule out the possibility of shortages, depending on the duration of the protest of lorry drivers.

He too said that except possible shortages, financial problems would follow.

“Importers will pay a fine for each day of delay in the delivery of the drugs to the state pharmaceutical services,” Potamitis said.

“We have sent a letter to the health minister to be lenient as this is no fault of the importers”. He added that priority should be given to the unloading and transport of pharmaceuticals.

“It is unthinkable to leave drugs in the containers when people need them most,” he said.

Farmers too sounded the alarm over delays in the delivery of products necessary for the cultivation of their crops.

The Ecological Farmers’ Association said on Friday that it has received scores of complaints from its members over delays in the customs clearance of agricultural supplies.

“The economic damage to be suffered by farmers and our state, in general, will be enormous,” the group said.

Keve said that it would urge its members to claim compensation from truck drivers for the damage suffered due to their prolonged work stoppage. Truckers, who rejected any proposals made so far, said that they would continue their protest until Monday.

http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/02/18/merch ... shortages/

Perhaps the root cause of the unrest is that the Limassol docks have recently been privatised... Initially there have been problems with unserviceable cranes etc, left by the previous regime
. Also a change in in the new administrative operating methods. The unions are angry as the work may dry up as water sources are probably not being maintaind as they were previously

I posted this link in the news section earlier today:

http://in-cyprus.com/limassol-port-fees-hiked-by-550/

It shows a different side to the story.

“It used to be that truckers would take the container themselves to the check point, a distance of 200 metres in the port. They are now charged €130 to have the port management do it for them, an unnecessary fee,” he said, referring to transportation fees for hygiene safety checks.

“Containers which are characterised as carrying a dangerous load are charged an additional €100 each, along with very high storage fees,” said an ex-Port Authority high-ranking official.

He noted that around 80% of containers carry dangerous loads such as paint, or compressed gas.

“The result of all these fees will be an increase in freight costs, which will eventually be paid for by the consumers,” he said.
According to internal documents seen by the Cyprus Weekly of a mid-sized shipping company operating out of Limassol port, the cost of marine services for the company is estimated to increase by an average of 550% in 2017, due to the new tariffs and fees.

Many thanks to Memory Man and to Dominic for their most informative replies.
Let us all hope that the President's intervention yesterday gets things back to normal again for the general wellbeing of the economy.
It must be a serious situation for the President to have got involved as he did.
Geoff.

Geoffreys - do you ever use Google?

I think he just likes to create a topic of conversation which in most cases turns out be very informative! Don't really see much wrong with that.

merchant_banker wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2017 11:24 am Geoffreys - do you ever use Google?

I have explained this before, use of Google Vs use of forum to get answers that other members may also wish to see.
If we only used Google why have the forum at all?
Geoff.
P.S. Thanks to Jofus-Jan - you are correct.

merchant_banker wrote: ↑Sun Feb 19, 2017 11:24 am Geoffreys - do you ever use Google?

Google doesn't always come up with the goods, especially when it is for recent events.

Besides, any thread that isn't about Brexit is a big WIN.

Better news today regarding Limassol port problems:

Lorry drivers using Limassol port returned to work on Sunday following a series of meetings on Saturday to resolve the two-week-old crisis that brought the container terminal to a standstill.

Manager of container terminal operators Eurogate, Giorgos Pouros said work began from 6am and that everything was running smoothly.

“There is no queue outside, we came across a few problems but things will improve even more,” he said, according to CNA.

Full article through the link here: http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/02/19/truck ... ssol-port/