The operation licenses of five big Greek insurance companies have been revoked from September 21st 2009.
The companies are:
Aspis Pronoia AEGA,
Aspis Pronoia,
General Union AEEGA,
General Trust AEEGA
G.H. Skourtis AEEGA.
For all five companies a liquidator has been assigned.
Client numbers in the above mentioned Greek companies are estimated to be 1.1 million in all insurance sectors such us Life, Health and Car.
LIFE Insurance
The Greek government say they will guarantee all returns of life insurance & pension investments of these companies but they have not announced what percentage yield will be returned. All this is expected to take many months to sort.
CAR Insurance
Anyone with car insurance through the companies has 30 days insurance, after which all policies will expire. Those with comprehensive insurance are no longer covered comprehensively; the 30 day period insurance for all covers third party liability only. Fire and theft is also excluded.
HEALTH Insurance
Regarding Health Insurance policies with the said companies: for any immediate treatment the 'insured' will be required to pay out of their own pocket, obtain receipts and attempt to reclaim the money from the liquidators
From: Ta Nea (Greek)
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Aspis Pronia Insurance & others go under
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Chania Airport still awaiting major upgrades
Τhe existing infrastructure of Chania’s "Daskalogiannis" Airport is unable to adequately meet the increasing needs of western Crete, at the same time the staff are battling to cope with the 24 hour operation of the airport due to staff shortages, acknowledges the Assistant Airport Manager Costas Tsioros.
Mr. Tsioros, speaking to the Haniotiks Nea lat week, stated that the study for the extension of the terminal building and the new control tower included proposals to improve the existing infrastructure of the airport and will be tendered in 2010.
Referring to the staff shortages, Mr Tsioros acknowledged that "the fact is that we operate with inadequate staff, with inadequate infrastructure… I think the staff should be doubled. There are urgent and immediate staffing needs of key sectors.” The problem is the reduction of funds given to the operational needs of the airport.
The upgrade project includes the expansion of the terminal by 15,586 square meters, the refurbishing - upgrading of the existing terminal space and the construction of a new control tower. Also, there are plans to increase the parking space for aircraft from 8 to 12 or 14 spaces.
The new terminal will be able to accommodate 2,100 passengers per hour.
Currently the airport can comfortably accommodate just over 1,000 passengers per hour, but the actual traffic during peak July/August dates can reach 2.400 passengers an hour.
A total of approximately 2.5 million passengers per year pass through Chania airport.
Source: Haniotika Nea.
Photo:
Monday, 14 September 2009
Crete car accidents - One dead every two days
The statistics are quite shocking. One person dies on the roads in Crete every two days and three are seriously injured.
The «massacre» which occurs on the roads of the island and the importance of emergency pre-hospital and hospital care was reported yesterday by president of the nonprofit company «Pre-hospital care», Dr. Dimitris Vourvachakis.
Dr Vourvachakis stressed that «In Greece, and Crete in particular, a massacre takes place on the roads. As you know every second day in Crete we have one dead. For every dead we have three serious injuries. It is important to learn to care for accident victims at the scene of an accident, in order to avoid extensive neurological problems.», said Dr. Vourvachakis. If correct first aid is given in the first instance at the scene of an accident, by trained professionals, then neurological damage can often be limited.
Asked to comment on the quality of the road network of Crete, Mr. Vourvachakis noted that « It is one of the worst there is. Statistics show that once a separator barrier is installed on dangerous stretches of the national road, the death rate greatly reduces. The installation of a separator barrier along the National road would dramatically reduce accidents and deaths».
He, however, hastened to point out that «80% of road accidents take place in the city because of violations of the Highway Code. It is a question, then, not only of roads but also of education. I think that driver education should start at primary school. ».
Source: Haniotika Nea
See the Driving in Crete page for tips on staying safe on Crete's roads.
Saturday, 12 September 2009
Improvements in Souda Port – Royal Caribbean cruise interest
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines are showing serious interest in Souda as a port of call for cruise ships according to the local Haniotika Nea newspaper.
Royal Caribbean is one of the largest cruise companies in the world and they have long been cruising the Greek Islands and the Mediterranean.
Yesterday a representative of Royal Caribbean's representative in Greece, Mr. Nicholas Adali, visited the site of the newly completed pier ‘Adrias’ at Souda, and the ongoing works at the dock, which will allow larger ships, up to 350m, to dock at the port.
Some of the first cruise ships are expected to arrive at Souda port in 2010, but cruise planning normally takes place at least two years in advance so the full potential of Souda as a port of call for cruise ships will not start to be realised until 2011/2012.
Photo:
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Crete in September
Bathers enjoy some breathing space on the Island's beaches after the last major wave of Greek holidaymakers returned to the city over the weekend.
The arrival of September was accompanied by a drop in temperatures, gray clouds moving in over the capital and short bouts of heavy rain on the mainland.
Not in Crete however! The weather here is still glorious and the beaches quiet .. what a difference a few days make. The sea is warm and inviting, the roads less crowded;it’s just a perfect time to enjoy and explore Crete.
There’s still plenty going on this month: festivals, 'Panayiria' and exhibitions across the island. See September Crete guide
Posts
