During the meeting between Mr. Konstantinos Chatzimichail, President of the Alexandroupolis Port Authority, and Mr. Stavros Amoiras, Director of Strategic Planning & Development at ena Development Consultants, which took place at the Port Authority’s facilities, the Marketing Department of ena had the opportunity to attend and gather valuable insights as part of the creation of the 11th Business Story.
Here’s a polished English summary for “A few words about the Alexandroupolis Port Authority S.A.”:
The company "Alexandroupolis Port Authority" (O.L.A. S.A.) exclusively manages the facilities of the Port of Alexandroupolis and the smaller Port of Makri, both located in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. This region is a partner of Greece’s first European Digital Innovation Hub in the Agrifood sector, DigiAgriFood, which organized an informative event on Monday, June 2, 2025, in Xanthi, titled: "Sustainable Management of Kiwifruit Cultivation – Opportunities and Funding Tools." The Alexandroupolis Port Authority operates under a Concession Agreement with the Hellenic Republic. In addition to port operations, it also exercises administrative responsibilities over the Port of Kamariotissa and the Thermes fishing shelter, both located on the island of Samothraki.
The main activities of Alexandroupolis Port Authority S.A. (O.L.A. S.A.) include providing berthing services for vessels, loading and unloading dry bulk cargo and general conventional cargo, as well as storing these goods. Additionally, the port facilitates coastal passenger transportation. The Port of Alexandroupolis primarily functions as a commercial port, serving as a connection between mainland Greece and the islands of Samothraki and Lemnos. As a commercial hub, the port handles agricultural products, construction materials, and specialized equipment required for the implementation of major projects in the region. In recent years, it has also supported the transportation and movement of NATO military equipment.
Alexandroupolis Port Authority S.A. (O.L.A. S.A.), with a focus on continuous development, is investing in various projects by leveraging funding programs, strategic partnerships, and modern technological tools. These investments aim to improve both the commercial and tourism sectors of the Port of Alexandroupolis. The organization also engages in promotional activities and other initiatives that contribute to the growth of the local economy.
The vision of the Organization, as expressed by its President, Mr. Konstantinos Chatzimichail, states:
In a period of changes in the European political and business environment, as well as the transformation of the border region—with the port as its focal point—into a commercial, energy, and military hub, the Organization is further expanding the port’s international footprint by consistently and methodically implementing policies aimed at establishing strategic depth in the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
At the same time, it enriches its activities, improves its efficiency, and impressively increases the volume of cargo it handles, while simultaneously ensuring a balanced development of all aspects of the port!The port of Alexandroupolis, with its enhanced geopolitical characteristics, is growing, developing, and evolving into an important commercial port and an international logistics hub, decisively contributing to the economic and social development of the northeastern edge of Greece.
The developmental progress of the Organization was greatly aided by its participation from 2018 to 2021 as the Lead Partner in the cross-border program Sailing Across the Black Sea (SaBS). For the implementation process of this program, Alexandroupolis Port Authority (O.L.A. S.A.) entrusted the specialized team of ena Development Consultants.
Collaboration with ena Development Consultants
The support of the Alexandroupolis Port Authority and the SaBS project was a team effort for ena Development Consultants, as several members of the #enateam participated in the planning and implementation process of the initiative. A crucial role in the project's execution was played by Nikos Charalampogiannis, Coordinator of Development Law Consulting Services, and Stella Bazdani, Development Consultant for European Programs at ena Development Consultants. It should be noted that the proposal for this specific project received one of the highest scores during the evaluation process.
The experience, reliability, and flawless communication with the specialized team of ena Development Consultants are the key factors that led to the realization of the Alexandroupolis Port Authority’s (O.L.A.) vision for the development of the wider Alexandroupolis area and to our successful collaboration.
The experience, reliability, and excellent communication with the specialized team of ena Development Consultants are the key factors that led to the realization of the vision of the Alexandroupolis Port Authority (O.L.A.) for the development of the wider Alexandroupolis area and our successful collaboration.
Το project Sailing Across the Black Sea (SaBS)
The Sailing Across the Black Sea (SaBS) program is part of the Joint Operational Program of the Black Sea Basin, funded by the ENPI/ENI (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument/European Neighbourhood Instrument), which supports cross-border cooperation projects in the Black Sea Basin region.
The project, led by Alexandroupolis Port Authority (O.L.A. S.A.) as the Lead Partner, was completed in July 2021. Its main objectives were to enhance the capacity to host tourist vessels and strengthen cooperative ties with ports in the Black Sea region, as well as to develop tourism flows in the Black Sea area.
The project partners, besides the Alexandroupolis Port Authority, included the Naval Fishing Club “Glarous,” based in Burgas, Bulgaria, and the International Center for Social Research and Political Analysis, based in Batumi, Georgia.
The benefits from the participation of the Alexandroupolis Port Authority in the SABS project:
Floating docks
Two new floating concrete piers were created for the port of Alexandroupolis, with a total length of 60 meters and a width of 4 meters. They feature a special design to reduce wave energy, developed in collaboration with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The piers are accompanied by two specially constructed metal access bridges and all specially designed anchoring materials.
Automatic electricity and water dispensers
The Port Authority acquired 8 modern, fully automatic dispensers (pillars), which equipped the new floating piers for use by recreational boats, providing a total of 32 power outlets and 32 water supplies.
Hydraulic Trailer
The Port Authority acquired a specialized hydraulic trailer vehicle for launching, hauling, and transporting recreational boats, with a lifting and carrying capacity of boats weighing up to 25 tons and measuring up to 15 meters in length.
Meteorological Station
A meteorological station and two web cameras were installed to provide real-time weather data, statistics, graphs, and forecasting models, as well as live streaming of the new floating docks 24/7.
Tourist Guides & Digital Maps
Bilingual tourist guides were developed in Greek and English for two tourist routes in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, a partner of Greece’s first European Digital Innovation Hub in the Agrifood sector, DigiAgriFood, which organized on Monday, June 2, 2025, in Xanthi, an informative event titled: "Sustainable Management of Kiwifruit Cultivation – Opportunities and Funding Tools." Additionally, a digital map of the Thracian Sea was created, suitable for use on mobile phones.
Greek routes:
i) Alexandroupoli- Samothraki
ii) Alexandroupolis – Thracian Coast – Thasos
Navigation guides were also developed in four languages (Greek, Bulgarian, Georgian, and English) for recreational boats, along with digital maps for nine ports in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, also suitable for use on mobile phones.
Tourist Office
A tourist office was established within the facilities of the Port of Alexandroupolis to provide information to tourists and to promote the results of the project.
Mobile info point
A mobile information point was developed and installed to provide open access and maximize the visibility of the project’s results, through the new interactive platform, the website (www.sabsproject.com), and the project's Facebook profile (www.facebook.com/SaBS.GR).
The benefits for the local community from the development of tourist flows and the enhancement of the capacity to host recreational boats include:
Let’s take a look at some interesting statistics on how the program contributed to the development of tourist flows and the enhancement of the capacity to host recreational boats:
1,575 visitors to the program’s website searched for information about the SABS project and the opportunities it offers, from June 2021 to September 2022.
The tourist maps and guides were downloaded 8,835 times from June 2020 to August 2022.
The visitor data from the info-kiosk provides insight into the use and search for information by tourists, totaling 6,964 minutes or 116 hours of operation. This clearly demonstrates the public's interest in the Sailing Across the Black Sea (SaBS) program.
Confirming the Organization's development initiative and the upward trend in hosting vessels at the Port of Alexandroupolis, the number of Power and Water Supply Cards issued for the 8 automatic distribution pillars increased from 3 cards in 2020 to 54 cards in 2022 — a growth of 1700%.
- …to the reduction of wave disturbance and to ensuring better conditions and an extended duration of mooring for the serviced vessels.
- στη βέλτιστη χωροθέτηση and in the safe mooring of various types and sizes of serviced vessels (small amateur fishing boats, larger recreational boats, professional and sailing club vessels, etc.), and
- …in fully securing the number of pre-existing mooring positions, which primarily serve the needs of local club members, while simultaneously creating approximately 10–15 new stern-to mooring positions for vessels up to 15 meters in length. These new positions are offered by the Organization and are used throughout the year, contributing to the optimal utilization of available space and the increase of mooring-related revenue.
Information Dissemination
- 19 Local Government Authorities,
- 9 Non-Governmental Organizations,
- 13 Business Support Organizations,
- 7 Regional Public Authorities,
- 110 Businesses,
- 3 Sectoral Organizations,
- hundreds of private individuals and citizens
More info
Remember Business Story #1: Le Fondant!!
