An international tender has been launched for the long-term concession of the Aretsou Marina in Kalamaria. The announcement marks the start of a two-stage process, with expressions of interest due in February 2026.
Growthfund announced the tender on 15 December 2025. The concession covers the right to operate, manage and make commercial use of the marina for a minimum period of 35 years, with the option to extend the term by up to 10 additional years.
Aretsou Marina is located on the eastern coast of the Thermaicos Gulf along the coastal front of the Municipality of Kalamaria. The marina provides 242 berths for vessels of up to 30 metres in length and covers a land area of about 7.6 hectares. It mainly serves permanently moored vessels from the wider metropolitan area, alongside visiting vessels travelling through the Thermaicos Gulf, Halkidiki and the coastline of Pieria.
The facility was built in the 1970s and expanded in the late 1980s to support yacht traffic approaching Thessaloniki and the coastal area of Kalamaria. It is described as the only marina in operation within the Thessaloniki urban complex, while other nearby waterfront facilities are used by nautical sports clubs.
According to Growthfund, a master plan for the marina development was prepared by the fund and approved by presidential decree in 2023, following review by the Council of State. The environmental terms for the project received approval in October 2025 through a joint decision by the ministers of environment and energy and tourism.
The approved framework allows tourism and leisure uses, onshore vessel storage and maintenance, and publicly accessible outdoor areas such as pedestrian paths, sports routes and green spaces. It also allows for an increase in capacity to 327 berths for vessels of up to 40 metres.
Parliamentary attention followed the tender announcement. According to a statement issued by the Municipality of Kalamaria on 17 December 2025, two members of parliament submitted questions to the government on the timing of the tender and the steps taken before its launch, with reference to ongoing institutional and judicial procedures.
The current tender follows earlier efforts to concession the marina. In 2021, six business groups submitted expressions of interest during a process led by the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund. The process was cancelled in 2022 after the Council of State upheld an appeal by the Municipality of Kalamaria, which cited incomplete spatial planning. In the years that followed, the master plan was completed, and presidential and environmental approvals were secured before the tender was announced in December 2025.
