The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy () is a government department of Greece responsible for managing the nation's maritime and shipping sectors, as well as developing policies concerning the country's numerous islands. This ministry also oversees the enforcement of maritime laws and regulations, and the safety of Greek waters and coasts.
History It was founded as the Mercantile Marine Ministry () in 1936. On 19 September 2007, it was merged with the Ministry for the Aegean and Island Policy () to form the Mercantile Marine, Aegean and Island Policy Ministry (). The latter was abolished on 7 October 2009 and the shipping portfolio fell under the new Ministry of the Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping. It was re-established as the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Islands and Fisheries () on 30 September 2010, but was again abolished on 27 June 2011 and merged with the Ministry of Regional Development and Competitiveness to form the Ministry of Development, Competitiveness and Shipping. It was re-established as the Ministry of Shipping and the Aegean ) on 21 June 2012, but was again abolished on 26 January 2015 and merged into the Ministry of the Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism. On 23 September 2015, it was re-established as the Μinistry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy in the Second Cabinet of Alexis Tsipras.
Functions The Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy is responsible for a range of issues related to Greece's maritime and shipping industries, and the development of policies for its islands. Some functions: Managing and promoting the Greek merchant navy and commercial shipping operations, including personnel training, ship safety, and industry regulation. Overseeing the development and implementation of policies concerning Greece's islands, addressing issues like transportation, infrastructure, and local economies. Coordinating maritime security efforts and responding to maritime emergencies. Managing Greece's ports and harbors, including infrastructure development and maintenance.
List of ministers Mercantile marine Name Took officeLeft officePartyNotesGeorgios Katsifaras5 July 19825 June 1985PASOKGerasimos Arsenis5 June 1985 26 July 1985also National Economy Minister and Minister for FinanceEfstathios Alexandris26 July 198523 September 1987Evangelos Giannopoulos23 September 198718 November 1988Vasileios Sarantitis18 November 198817 March 1989Antonios Dedidakis17 March 19892 July 1989Aristotelis Pavlidis2 July 198912 October 1989New DemocracyNikolaos Pappas12 October 198911 April 1990Grivas caretaker government and Zolotas national unity governmentKonstantinos Mitsotakis11 April 19901 October 1990New DemocracyAristotelis Pavlidis1 October 19903 December 1992Alexandros Papadongonas3 December 199213 October 1993Georgios Katsifaras13 October 199322 January 1996PASOKThird Papandreou cabinetKosmas Sfyrios22 January 199625 September 1996First Simitis cabinetStavros Soumakis25 September 199613 April 2000Second Simitis cabinetChristos Papoutsis13 April 200024 October 2001Third Cabinet of Costas SimitisGeorgios Anomeritis24 October 20017 July 2003Georgios Paschalidis7 July 200310 March 2004Manolis Kefalogiannis10 March 200419 September 2007New DemocracyFirst Cabinet of Kostas Karamanlis
Mercantile marine, the Aegean and island policy (2007–2009) Name Took officeLeft officePartyNotesGeorgios Voulgarakis19 September 200713 September 2008New DemocracySecond Cabinet of Kostas KaramanlisAnastasios Papaligouras13 September 20087 October 2009
Maritime affairs, islands and fisheries (2010–2011) Name Took officeLeft office Party NotesGiannis Diamantidis30 September 201027 June 2011PASOKCabinet of George Papandreou
Shipping and the Aegean (2012–2015) Name Took officeLeft office Party Notes21 June 201225 June 2013New DemocracyCabinet of Antonis SamarasMiltiadis Varvitsiotis25 June 201327 January 2015
Shipping and the Aegean (alternates, January–September 2015) Name Took officeLeft office Party NotesThodoris Dritsas27 January 201527 August 2015SyrizaFirst Cabinet of Alexis TsiprasChristos Zois28 August 201521 September 2015New Reformist Radical ReconstructionThanou caretaker cabinet
Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy (since September 2015) Name Took officeLeft office Party NotesThodoris Dritsas23 September 20155 November 2016SyrizaSecond Cabinet of Alexis TsiprasPanagiotis Kouroumblis5 November 201629 August 2018Fotis Kouvelis29 August 20189 July 2019Ioannis Plakiotakis9 July 201926 May 2023New DemocracyCabinet of Kyriakos MitsotakisTheodore Kliares26 May 202327 June 2023Independent Caretaker Cabinet of Ioannis SarmasMiltiadis Varvitsiotis27 June 202312 September 2023New DemocracySecond Cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, resigned due to the homicide in the port of PiraeusChristos Stylianides12 September 202315 May 2025New DemocracySecond Cabinet of Kyriakos MitsotakisVasilis Kikilias15 March 2025incumbentNew DemocracySecond Cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis
See also Ministry for Naval Affairs (Greece)
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