:o :o ATHENS, Jan 22 (AFP) - The sale of three cruiser ships chartered to provide accomodation for tourists at theAthens Olympics will not upset the Games’ much-stretched housing plans, organisers said Thursday.
``At the moment, we’re not worried. Why should anynew, potential owner risk finding new business when hehas a done deal, with 18 nights in Athens during theGames paid in advance?,’’ Basile Niadas, Games ServicesGeneral Manager, told AFP.
ATHOC has chartered 11 cruisers to serve as floatinghotels during the August 13-29 Games to boost the Greekcapital’s thin hotel capacity by 13,000 beds.
But the plans fell into limbo in December whencreditors arrested three of the cruisers to force theirGreek operator Royal Olympic Cruises (ROC) to pay offdebts.
Under a deal reached January 15, ROC agreed to auctionoff two of the cruisers, Olympic Explorer and OlympicVoyager, which were arrested in the United States.
The third, Olympic Countess, arrested mid-cruise inDurban, South Africa, is expected to follow.
The three ships are scheduled to shelter around 3,000Athens Games visitors.
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Our friends down the street are Greek and they had no trouble getting every ticket they wanted over there because many people in Athens are betting that the games simply won’t happen!