The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Monday, August 9, 2010

Japan: major ports it will invest..[ 1600 ]

Gov't designates major ports it will invest in as it aims to create shipping hubs

A bird's-eye view of freight containers at Yokohama Port's Honmoku Pier. (Mainichi)
A bird's-eye view of freight containers at Yokohama Port's Honmoku Pier. (Mainichi)

(Mainichi Japan) August 8, 2010
The government has designated two mega-ports as "International Freight Strategic Ports," which are to receive high-priority in budget allocations in an attempt to transform them into powerful international shipping hubs.

Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Seiji Maehara announced Aug. 6 that "Hanshin Port" (consisting of Osaka and Kobe Ports) and "Keihin Port" (Tokyo, Kawasaki and Yokohama Ports) have been chosen as the strategic ports.

The designation is part of the financially-squeezed ministry's efforts to shift from a strategy of investing in ports equally to focusing resources on a few particular ports.

Four ports -- Hanshin, Keihin, Ise Bay (Nagoya and Yokkaichi Ports) and Hokubu-Kyushu (Hakata and Kitakyushu Ports) -- had applied for the new project, and the ministry's review committee scored each port's suggestions for how it would develop using the money on a 1,000-point scale. Hanshin and Keihin were the top two, scoring 769 and 729 points, respectively, while Ise Bay and Hokubu Kyushu settled for 553 and 277, respectively. Based on the scores, the ministry opted for Hanshin and Keihin.

"We will restore Japan's status as a seafaring nation," Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Maehara said at the Aug. 6 press conference, showing a strong desire to make the two ports major Asian hubs.

Among ports around the world, Singapore currently handles the largest volume of freight, followed by Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen (China), and Busan (South Korea). Kobe in Japan was ranked fourth in 1980, but as of 2008, was in 44th place. With even the combined transaction volume of freight at Keihin and Hanshin Ports coming to less than half that of Singapore Port, Japan is "two laps behind," says Maehara.

This lag may be explainable by differences between Japan and these other countries in how they have viewed port development. Even after its steep economic growth had ended, Japan continued to invest in its ports equally, calling for balanced development of the national territory. China and South Korea, meanwhile, concentrated their investment on improvement of specific ports, foreseeing an expansion of the Asian market.

In 2004, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry designated Tokyo, Kobe and four other ports as "Super Central Ports," in a bid to end the balanced strategy and instead prioritize budget allocations on those ports, but the plan failed to close the gap in freight volume with the leading Asian countries. The latest move comes as an attempt by the ministry to focus its port investments into yet a smaller number of ports.
Click here for the original Japanese story

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