Lawmakers debate ferry changes
Merchant Marine Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis (right) in Parliament yesterday as lawmakers debated the changes that have taken place in the country’s ferry industry. PASOK said the deregulation of the ferry industry has resulted in a number of islands losing their shipping routes while at the same time paving the way for companies to introduce what are considered to be excessive price hikes. Voulgarakis responded by saying that the average hike in ferry tickets has been around 16 percent, even though the rise in fuel costs, which account for the highest proportion of ferry operators’ expenses, has been in excess of 100 percent.