In November 2022, the agreement transferring the Elefsina Shipyards to the US company ONEX was signed. This followed a similar landmark agreement in 2018 concerning the Syros shipyards, which had likewise been abandoned as a result of state and managerial neglect. On that occasion, government officials and representatives of the US multinational made numerous statements hailing the “historic agreement”.
Beyond the erosion of labour rights at both shipyards, what was evident from the outset was the plan to integrate them into the military plans of the US, NATO, and the EU, thereby securing a substantial share of the war economy pie. This was, after all, the reason why the US development bank DFC subsequently expressed an interest in investing.
These plans matured and began to take concrete shape with the legislation aimed at transforming Elefsina into a commercial and military hub for the US, in competition with the port of Piraeus, whose operations are controlled by the Chinese company COSCO. The involvement of the Shipyards in these plans is crucial. The owner, ONEX, acquired the right to develop port and cargo infrastructure, thereby advancing US interests at the expense of Chinese interests.
Now, once again with the government’s blessing and the complicit silence of all the parties of the system, ONEX is being upgraded to a provider of repair and maintenance services for the 6th Fleet, further integrating the Shipyards into US–NATO war plan. Under the agreement signed on Friday, the two shipbuilding facilities undertake, among other things, to ensure that US naval forces operating in the Mediterranean and Africa remain fully operational in support of imperialist “security” objectives.
It should be noted that this is the fleet tasked with advancing US “energy sovereignty” in the wider region —that is, safeguarding US investments in energy extraction and transportation throughout the Mediterranean— an objective on which the Greek bourgeoisie is also pinning its hopes in order to strengthen its own position.
This is how economic and energy interests become intertwined with military planning, with the cost is always borne by workers and the people. They pay the price through the erosion of their rights in times of imperialist peace, and with their very blood when rivalries escalate to the point of war.
The transformation of shipyards into what is, in effect, military infrastructure constitutes yet another link binding the country and its people to imperialist plans and wars. This development alone makes the shipbuilding facilities an even more likely target for military retaliation by rival imperialist camps within NATO. Greece, beyond serving as a launching pad for the US–NATO forces, is now also becoming a repair base for their warships, thereby increasing the dangers facing the people.
The silence of all the Euro-Atlantic parties regarding this dangerous agreement is revealing. They make a great commotion over every minor issue, yet when matters of major importance to the bourgeoisie and its allies arise, they stand united and act in concert.
Indeed, in the case of the Elefsina Shipyards, the complicity of all parties in the process of devaluation has already been demonstrated, before the US multinational was presented as a saviour. Likewise, the agreement to “rescue” the Syros Shipyards bears the signature of the Tsipras government, which paved the way and established the precedent for what followed. In other words, Tsipras and the US ONEX have known each other for quite some time.
The people can now see more clearly that their development plans go hand in hand with the country’s deeper involvement in plans and rivalries that smell of gunpowder. This is because their development is driven by the pursuit of capital’s profits. Therein lies the real cause of their wars as well. Under these grim conditions, the slogan and call to counterattack — “No sacrifices for their profits and wars” — takes on even greater significance.
The situation at the shipyards reveals, on the one hand, their immense productive potential and, on the other, the destructive nature of capitalist ownership and operation, which are guided by the interests, rivalries, and profits of a handful of business groups. The people must free themselves from this system by fighting for shipyards under social ownership, serving the needs of the people today!
This article is reproduced from the “Our View” column published in the Wednesday 3 June 2026 edition of Rizospastis