Israeli Naval Shipbuilder Bids for Greek Port of Lavrio

Left-Wing Epohi Carries Boycott Campaign's Alarm

An Israeli military shipbuilder is one of two remaining contenders for a controlling stake in the port of Lavrio, southeast of Athens, according to a text published on 23 September by Epohi, a Greek left-wing newspaper. The piece is signed by BDS Greece, the Greek branch of the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and reads as a campaign appeal rather than a news report.

According to the text, the Hellenic Growth Fund, Greece's sovereign wealth fund, is selling 51% of Lavrio Port Authority S.A., which operates the third-largest port in Attica. The buyer would gain corporate and operational control under a concession running until 2062. Lavrio lies close to Athens International Airport and faces the Cyclades, with growth potential in ferry services, cruises, yachting, ship repair and logistics.

Five binding offers were submitted in June 2025. Citing press reports, BDS Greece says that after appeals and court challenges, only Israel Shipyards Industries Ltd. and Jet Plan Shipping appear to remain in the tender. Financial offers are due to be opened once the legal proceedings conclude.

BDS Greece describes Israel Shipyards as a core component of Israel's military-industrial complex. The company designs, builds and maintains warships, including Sa'ar-class missile boats and Shaldag fast patrol craft, and works closely with the Israeli Navy. In 2021 it signed a contract to supply the navy with four Shaldag Mk V vessels. The campaign alleges that Shaldag boats are used to enforce the naval blockade of Gaza, including against Palestinian fishermen.

The text links the shipyard to businessman Samy Katsav's SK Group, which also controls Israel Weapon Industries, maker of the Tavor, Galil and Negev rifles, as well as the optics firm Meprolight and Camero-Tech. In August 2025, SK Group took full ownership of ELVO, the Thessaloniki-based military vehicle manufacturer it had earlier acquired jointly with Plasan. BDS Greece argues that adding Lavrio would give the same group a foothold in both Greece's land defence industry and a strategic maritime gateway, deepening the country's reliance on Israeli weapons systems, training contracts and joint exercises.

The campaign calls for Israel Shipyards to be excluded from the tender; full disclosure of the terms, bids and security vetting; parliamentary scrutiny of the process; public control of the port; and an end to all military and economic cooperation with Israel, which it labels a "genocidal state."

The piece includes no response from the Growth Fund, Israel Shipyards or the Greek government, and its allegations have not been independently verified.