On 26 June, as “N” wrote, Mr Stylianidis sent a letter to the Chairman of the Competition Commission, requesting closer cooperation so that there can be a faster and more effective response to any incidents of abusive behaviour in the market by coastal shipping companies, although there is already a relevant case to be examined.
According to maritime market executives, the price of a ticket is influenced not only by competition, but also by the type of ship, that is, whether it is high-speed or conventional, but also by its size. Furthermore, each carrier is obliged to inform the Ministry of Shipping within 3 days of this change, otherwise it will face administrative sanctions and fines.
In 377 checks carried out from 07/06/2024 to 16/06/2024, 7 infractions were confirmed for failure to communicate to the competent Authority about changes in ticket prices.
It should be noted that to issue prices for coastal ferry tickets, a Price Observatory was created by the Ministry of the Navy, which checks in (almost) real time all tickets issued for coastal navigation, also having a historical archive.
The Observatory is currently in pilot operation and is expected to very soon publish weekly, monthly and annual reports for selected lines for both conventional and high-speed vessels.
Price differences
Comparing the traffic data from the very good Easter 2023 with Easter this year, the increase in passenger traffic from Piraeus was 17%, from Rafina 27% and from Lavrio 25%.
According to official figures for tickets issued over the Easter period, the average price of an economy class Piraeus – Paros ticket on a conventional ferry was 41.56 euros, down 4% compared to last year, or Piraeus – Rhodes at 54.65 euros, down 6.7% compared to last year.
Shipping agents highlighted to “N” that the biggest problem in coastal ferry ticket prices arises in movements with high-speed boats and especially in intra-island connections, since specific ships, due to the increase in speed, also have greater consumption.
For example, on the Piraeus-Mykonos route, while with the conventional ferry the average ticket price was reduced by 5.25%, the average ticket price with the high-speed boat increased by 11.76%.
Furthermore, on the Naxos-Paros line, while with the conventional ferry the average ticket price is reduced by 3.63%, the average ticket price with the high-speed boat has increased by 32.80%.
According to executives in the cruise ship market, the cost of fuel is the most important factor in determining the price of a ticket. Due to the war in Ukraine (February 2022) the price of fuel increased (increases were around 15%). In addition to fuel, it should be noted that the ticket formation cost also includes salary costs and repair costs.
Pollution trading system increases prices for Crete
As regards conventional ships, the only increase already announced is on the Crete lines, due to the implementation of the EU emissions trading scheme. The specific increase is 2.7%, i.e. 1 euro in economy class.
It should be noted that the ETS implementation measure in coastal shipping concerns only class A ships, with a capacity equal to or greater than 5,000 gross tons, which operate on international lines but also on islands with more than 200,000 inhabitants.