China Shipping Group considers building container terminal in Greece

State-owned China Shipping Group is examining whether to develop a container terminal on the Greek island of Crete, the company's president said Wednesday.

"The demand for containers in the Mediterranean region is increasing rapidly ... and it's necessary for us to find a transfer center," Li Ke Lin said during a visit to Crete.

"Crete has a good geographical position in southeast Europe, which is convenient for the transfer of cargo from the island toward the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea," he added.

Shanghai-based China Shipping has so far this year carried between 800,000 and 1 million containers toward the Mediterranean, Li said.

The terminal could be built at Iraklio on the island's north coast, or Timbaki and Ierapetra on the south coast, AP reported. V.A.