Protests hit COSCO Pacific terminal in Greece

Protests hit COSCO Pacific terminal in Greece    Dockworkers in the Greek port of Piraeus have been striking in recent weeks to protest a pending deal that would see Chinese terminal operator COSCO Pacific redevelop and manage a container terminal previously operated by the government.
   Longshoremen are reportedly worried COSCO's management might impact employee rights and cause layoffs, according to a report this week by Schednet, a maritime information service.
   COSCO recently took over the Piraeus terminal on a 35-year concession from the Greek government. It's the first European operation for Hong Kong-listed COSCO Pacific.
   Meanwhile, COSCO Pacific said volume at the 20 terminals in which has stakes fell 1.5 percent in September, compared to the same month in 2008. Healthy gains in COSCO’s Bohai Rim port in northeastern China, as well as sizable gains in its Nansha terminal (in the western Pearl River Delta) and the Suez Canal Container Terminal in Egypt helped offset losses in South China and Shanghai. COSCO has a 20 percent stake in the Suez terminal, which is majority owned by APM Terminals.