Editing Piraeus (section)

==Maritime industry==
{{Further|Greek shipping}}
[[File:Attica 06-13 Piraeus 03 Megaron Navtikou.jpg|thumb|The building of the Maritime Retirement Fund (NAT)]]
[[File:Akti Miaouli - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|Akti Miaouli at the port.]]
[[File:Metro Station of Piraeus2.JPG|thumb|Inside view of [[Piraeus station]], next to the seaport.]]

In addition to being the largest [[Marine (ocean)|marine]]–based [[shipping]] centre of Greece, Piraeus is also the commercial hub of [[Greek shipping]], with most of Greece's shipowners having offices there, largely centred around the street Akti Miaouli. In its capacities as host to Greek shipping, Piraeus has been affected significantly by the various governments of Greece. Following [[World War II]], the Greek government attempted to nationalize the proceeds of the insurance payments given to Greek shipowners who had lost vessels as a result of those vessels having been commandeered by the [[Allies of World War II|Allied Forces]]; the insurance had been provided by [[Lloyd's of London]] and guaranteed by the coalition of the allied forces. Although Greek shipowners ultimately won their case against the Greek government in the [[United Kingdom|British]] courts, most were uninterested in continuing to base their headquarters in Piraeus, both out of distrust of the Greek government, and because the war had left the [[Greater Athens]] area in a state of severe poverty. As a result, Greece's shipowners left Piraeus en masse in favour of operations in [[London]], [[New York City|New York]], [[Alexandria]] and other major shipping cities.

Today the port of Piraeus ranks 7th in Europe and the 1st in the Mediterranean in terms of TEUs transported through it each year.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Qianqian|first1=Liu|last2=Davarinou|first2=Polyxeni|date=2019-12-19|title=Sino-Greek Economic Cooperation: COSCO's Investment in the Port of Piraeus|url=https://bulletin.ids.ac.uk/|journal=IDS Bulletin|language=en|volume=50|issue=4|doi=10.19088/1968-2019.141|s2cid=214026339 |issn=1759-5436|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://greece.greekreporter.com/2018/05/31/greeces-port-of-piraeus-ranked-7th-largest-in-europe/| title = Greece's Port of Piraeus Ranked 7th Largest in Europe| date = 31 May 2018}}</ref>

===1967 military junta===
{{Further|Greek military junta of 1967-1974}}
In 1967, when a group of colonels staged a [[coup d'état]] against the government, in order to increase desperately needed revenues, the [[Greek military junta of 1967-1974|junta]] offered lavish incentives for Greek shipowners to bring their companies back to Piraeus. This included both tax incentives and other inducements, as highlighted by the fact that [[Aristotle Onassis]] was allowed to purchase the entire island of [[Skorpios]], which otherwise would have been a violation of Greek coastline laws.

=== 1974 democratic government ===
After the junta fell in 1974, the successive democratic government generally maintained the deregulation of Greek-based shipping, and many shipowners have maintained commercial operations there since. Today, however, as a result of traffic congestion plaguing the Athens area, and the fact that most shipowners reside in the lavish northern suburbs of Athens, many shipowners have opted once again to move their bases away from Piraeus to Northern Athens.

=== Shipping today ===
After the post-[[2008 financial crisis]] collapse of global shipping, the port was gradually acquired by China Ocean Shipping Company ([[COSCO]]), which is a [[State-owned enterprises of China|Chinese state-owned enterprise]].<ref name=":Curtis&Klaus">{{Cite book |last1=Curtis |first1=Simon |title=The Belt and Road City: Geopolitics, Urbanization, and China's Search for a New International Order |last2=Klaus |first2=Ian |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |isbn=9780300266900 |location=New Haven and London |publication-date=2024}}</ref>{{Rp|page=68}} Under COSCO, Piraeus has become a busy port, rising from traffic of 400,000 containers in 2008 to nearly five million containers in 2018.<ref name=":Curtis&Klaus" />{{Rp|page=68}} Most European trade with China occurs via Greek ships, including through Piraeus.<ref name=":Curtis&Klaus" />{{Rp|page=68}}

With an annual number of 8,1 million passengers by 2015, Piraeus also became the EU's sixth-largest port in terms of passenger transportation.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=File:Top_20_passenger_ports_in_2015_-_on_the_basis_of_number_of_passengers_embarked_and_disembarked_(in_1000).png | title=Top 20 passenger ports in 2015 - on the basis of number of passengers embarked and disembarked (In 1000)|website=ec.europa.eu }}</ref> The central port serves ferry routes to almost every island in the eastern portion of Greece, the island of [[Crete]], the [[Cyclades]], the [[Dodecanese]], and much of the northern and the eastern [[Aegean Sea]], while the western part of the port is used for cargo services. The following operators serve the port:
* [[Minoan Lines]]
* [[ANEK Lines]]
* [[Blue Star Ferries]]
* [[Hellenic Seaways]]
* [[Celestyal Cruises]]
* [[Monarch Classic Cruises]]