Greece plans to install a ‘floating fence’ in the sea to stop migrants reaching its islands from the nearby coast of Turkey.
The 1.7-mile barrier will be put in place within the next three months after the government has found a private contractor to build it.
The Defence Ministry announced the plans on a government procurement website and invited private firms to bid for the contract which it estimates will cost 500,000 euros.
The 1.7-mile barrier will be put in place within the next three months after the government has found a private contractor to build it. It is not yet known where the barrier will be placed, but migrants have often used the route from the Turkish coast to the Greek islands in a bid to reach the EU.
The plans for the netted barrier come after a surge in the number of migrants and refugees arriving on eastern Greek islands, including Lesbos, Samos and Chios where camps are severely overcrowded.
It is not clear exactly where the barrier will be placed but a likely place would be along the coast of Lesbos where thousands of migrants, including 6,000 children are forced to live in squalor in an overcrowded refugee camp.
Last week thousands of Greek protesters took to the streets on the islands demanding that other EU countries share the burden.
The barrier would rise 50cms above the water and be designed to hold flashing lights, the submission said.
The cost of the project includes four years of maintenance.
The Greek Government said the ‘floating barrier system’ needs to be built ‘with non-military specifications’ and ‘specific features for carrying out the mission of (maritime agencies) in managing the refugee crisis’.
A Government official said: ‘This contract process will be executed by the Defence Ministry but is for civilian use, a process similar to that used for the supply of other equipment for (camps) housing refugees and migrants.’
Source: Daily Mail
