Blog Archives - Page 9 of 10 - Logistical Worlds

Greek Revival, Chinese Dreams*

Logistical Worlds 15/12/2014

Ranabir Samaddar

Piraeus port is witnessing a remarkable resurgence, thanks to international agencies. The ancient Port of Piraeus by the city of Athens is still not only the largest Greek seaport, but also one of the top 10 container ports in Europe today. A major employer in the area, it has nearly 2,000 employees and services annually about 24,000 ships. With the natural advantage of its strategic potential, the Athenian fleet defeated the Persians here in 483 BC in the battle of Salamis. In the following years Themistocles initiated the construction of the port and created the ship sheds, while the Themistoclean Walls were completed in 471 BC, turning Piraeus into a great military and commercial harbour. However the Port of Piraeus went into a long period of decline, the harbours were only occasionally used by the Byzantine fleet and later the Ottomans. Then, it revived.

Metal Scrappers: Connectivity and Flexibility of the Marginalised

admin 15/12/2014

Carolin Philipp

Pier II at Piraeus is a site where various transnational transportation networks coalesce. Leased to China’s Cosco, the global hub receives, reloads, transfers and consigns goods stored in containers. Pier II is mainly used for the trans-shipment of containers that – immediately and without taxation – leave the harbour after being reloaded on a subsequent ship. Less than 20 percent of the containers that leave the Pier are loaded on rail or heavy-goods vehicles to continue their journey further into Europe.

Trojan Horses, Black Holes and the Impossibility of Labour Struggles

admin 15/12/2014

Dimitris Parsanoglou

One of the most significant facets of the current crisis in Greece is linked to the readjustment of labour relations. Apart from austerity measures, all major legislative initiatives, imposed in the framework of bailout loans and rescue packages provided by the Troika (the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank), included major structural reforms. The main aim of the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) was nothing less than reducing labour cost in order to attract foreign investments.

The Newly Builts and the Aspropyrgos Zone: Illegality, Racism, Infrastructures

admin 15/12/2014

Ilias Marmaras

The Newly Builts (Neoktista), located along the route of the new Ikonion-Thriassio rail line, are chosen as a spatial node for this research. They are a site of open racialised tension between ethnic Greek and Roma inhabitants, who accused of being responsible for the degradation of the town due to their involvement in the drug trade and the scrap industry.