Bomb Goes Off Outside Maritime Office Building in Piraeus

Early Wednesday, a bomb went off near the front entrance of an office building in the commercial district of Piraeus, Greece, the heart of the Greek shipping industry. 

At about 0130 hours, the blast tore into a modern multistory building at Filonos 61-65, home to several smaller shipping companies, a maritime satcom provider, a freight forwarder and the Greek office of a leading P&I club, among others. 

The damage appeared restricted to the ground floor and lobby of the seven-story building. No injuries were reported, but the blast caused serious damage to the facade and to several nearby storefronts. 

In one location, the force of the explosion tore a hole down through the pavement and into a space belowground, video released by local media outlets showed. 

Based on the evidence at the scene, Greek police said that a large bomb was set off by a slow-burning fuse and a standard detonator. One of the stores had a surveillance camera that may have captured imagery of the perpetrator, according to Protothema, and the police are examining the footage. 

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, and the motive and target are unknown. 

It is the second blast outside of a Piraeus shipping office in three years. In 2020, an unknown perpetrator set off an explosive device at 13 Leof. Al. Papanastiasiou, home of the offices of ship management firm Vita Management S.A. The exterior of the building was heavily damaged, but no injuries were reported.