The Greek island of Kalymnos in the Southeastern Aegean has been promised maritime investments exceeding 12 million euros for the construction of a new ferryboat dock and the establishment of maritime and diving education centers.
Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Deputy Minister Stefanos Gikas discussed the projects on Tuesday during a visit to the island to inaugurate the 23rd edition of the international open sea sailing race “Aegean Regatta.”
One of twelve islands forming the Dodecanese complex, and world renowned as the island of sponge-divers, Kalymnos boasts a rich maritime tradition that goes back centuries.
Kalymnos to become center of maritime education
Upon meeting with local administration officials and other community stakeholders, Deputy Minister Gikas discussed plans to expand Kalymnos’ port capacity with a new extension worth 12 million euros, and also to enhance the island’s role in Greek maritime education.
An Academy of Merchant Marine Captains has been operating on the island since 2018, and the founding of an Academy of Merchant Marine Engineers was published in the Greek government gazette of February 2023. However, the latter is yet to start receiving students.
A Diving School was also launched on Kalymnos in late 2023.
Gikas pledged to the community that procedures for the operation of the Academy of Merchant Marine Engineers will be speeded up, and the Diving School’s infrastructure enhanced.
“Those educational structures, together with the existing Academy of Merchant Marine Captains, will turn the island into a point of reference and a hub of Maritime Education in our country, honoring the rich maritime tradition of Kalymnos in a practical way,” the Deputy Minister commented.
“The promotion of this Southeast Aegean island as a center of maritime education is a goal of the government and Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Minister Christos Stylianidis himself,” Gikas stated.
A timeline for the next steps in actioning the investments was not disclosed.
Tender for the removal of abandoned ship Blue Shark
On the other hand, Gikas specifically outlined the imminent announcement of a tender for the removal of the Togo-flagged cargo ship Blue Shark. The ship was abandoned by its owner company off the Greek port of Kalymnos in September 2022 following a mechanical failure, with three Egyptian and six Indian crew aboard.
Residents of Kalymnos have been advocating the ship’s removal for months, concerned about the environmental risks from a potential fuel leakage.
Recently, the Greek state decided against towing the abandoned ship to the port of Kalymnos, and is looking for a legal way to remove it from the area.
The six stranded Indian seafarers aboard the ship were repatriated on August 2.
