A shipowner started a hunger-strike and raised banners outside the office of Maritime Minister Panagiotis Kouroublis on Tuesday afternoon claiming the minister is driving his company to economic collapse.
The owner of Golden Star Ferries, Giorgos Stefanou, told media that Kouroublis is favoring other shipping companies and is blocking his company from starting a scheduled route by delaying the necessary approval.
With two ferry boats, Golden Star Ferries covering routes from Rafina port in Attica to Herakleio, Crete via the islands of Andros,Tinos, Mykonos, Paros, Ios, Santorinini.
It looks like the major problem for the approval is that the two sides cannot agree on the ferry boats departure times from Herakleio.
On his part, the minister told media, that it is a matter of a couple of days until the issue is solved. He underlined that the shipowner submitted the ferry schedules after the deadline had expired.
Tuesday evening, Stefanou went to Kouroublis’ office in Piraeus in the company of his employees.
He was still outside the office on the 5th floor on Wednesday noon. The shipowner is afraid that he will have to start his efforts to have the license approved all over again, if the upcoming government reshuffle – expected during the day – would affect the maritime ministry.
His brother and company workers have gathered outside the ministry in solidarity with Stefanou.
Several of the 300 hundred workers told media that the “company is in tragic situation” and that “we wake up in the morning full in distress about our future.”
