The Ministry of Rural Development and Food has launched Action 1.1.2 “Investments in fishing vessels without increasing their fishing capacity” under the “Fisheries, Aquaculture and the Sea 2021–2027” Programme. The Action supports investments in professional fishing vessels without increasing their fishing capacity or their ability to locate fish stocks.
The programme finances investments ranging from €5,000 to €500,000 in active professional fishing vessels. Beneficiaries must hold a valid professional fishing licence, the vessel must be duly registered, documented fishing activity must be demonstrated and the beneficiary must be able to cover the required private contribution. The main eligible expenditure categories concern safety, health and hygiene, working conditions, hull hydrodynamics, quality of catches and, subject to specific conditions, the purchase of a refrigerated vehicle.
The grant rate starts at 50%, reaches 80% for small-scale coastal fishing vessels and may rise to as much as 85% in remote Greek islands.
Aid Rate
50% to 85%
Investment Budget
€5,000 to €500,000
Applications Open
14 May 2026, 13:00
Implementation Period
18 months + up to 6 months extension
Investments must improve safety, functionality, working conditions or the quality of catches without increasing the vessel’s fishing capacity.
Overview of Eligible Expenditure
Expenditure must be directly linked to the vessel, safety, health and hygiene, working conditions, hull hydrodynamics or the quality of catches. Indicative eligible expenditure includes:
• Safety equipment: life-saving appliances, fire-fighting equipment, communication systems, alarm systems, emergency lighting and deck protection equipment.
• Health and hygiene expenditure: first-aid equipment, telemedicine, sanitary facilities, cleaning systems, drinking water systems, guides and manuals.
• Working conditions: railings, shelters, anti-slip surfaces, personal protective equipment, insulation, ventilation and safety signage.
• Hull hydrodynamics: stability mechanisms, friction-reduction interventions, steering systems, testing and technical documentation.
• Quality and hygiene of catches: refrigerated areas, processing equipment, laboratory equipment, quality systems and waste management.
• Transport of fishery products: possibility of purchasing a vehicle with an enclosed refrigerated compartment and refrigeration system.
Technical expenses: Technical expenditure may be covered up to 5% of the total eligible cost of the project. This may include consultancy fees for the preparation and submission of the investment proposal and monitoring of implementation, supervision studies, mechanical engineering studies, naval architecture drawings and reports.
The Investment Center [Blackbird Group], with more than 16 years of experience in EU-funded and ESIF programmes, provides comprehensive support including eligibility assessment, estimation of the expected evaluation score, and the preparation and submission of a fully documented investment project for the fisheries Action.
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[See the success rates achieved across numerous applications submitted by our firm. 100% of applications submitted under recent comparable programmes were approved:]
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Our consistently high success rates demonstrate the high standard of support provided by our firm.
Contents – Fishing Vessel Grant Programme Index
⬢ Key Requirements
In order to submit an application, both the beneficiary and the vessel must meet specific requirements. Indicatively:
• The beneficiary must be the owner of a professional fishing vessel, either as a sole proprietorship or as a legal entity, including co-ownership arrangements.
• The vessel must be an active professional fishing vessel and must hold a valid professional fishing licence.
• The Action also covers inland fishing, subject to the specific terms of the Call.
• The vessel must be registered in the Greek Ship Registers / Small Craft Registers or, in the case of inland fishing vessels, in the registers maintained by the competent Fisheries Authorities.
• Vessels other than inland fishing vessels must be registered in the National and EU Fishing Fleet Registers.
• The vessel must have carried out fishing activities for at least 60 days during the two calendar years preceding the year in which the support application is submitted.
• The beneficiary must be able to demonstrate creditworthiness, financial viability and the ability to cover the required private contribution.
• No application may have been submitted and no funding may have been received from another national or EU programme for all or part of the same project.
• The physical scope of the project must not have been fully completed or implemented before submission of the funding application.
• Aid may be granted only once during the programming period up to 31.12.2029 for the same type of investment and the same fishing vessel.
Critical restriction
The proposed works and expenditure must not increase the vessel’s fishing capacity or its ability to locate fish stocks. They must also not concern works that are merely necessary to comply with requirements of EU legislation already applicable at the time of submission.
⬢ Beneficiaries of the Action
Eligible beneficiaries are owners of professional fishing vessels:
• operating as sole proprietorships,
• operating as legal entities,
• as well as co-ownership arrangements.
A key requirement is that beneficiaries engage professionally in fishing using an active fishing vessel and hold a valid professional fishing licence.
The Action also covers inland fishing, provided that the specific eligibility conditions set out in the Call and the programme guide are met.
⬢ Public Funding Rates
Public funding rates vary depending on the type of vessel and the location where the project is implemented.
• For owners of fishing vessels, public aid amounts to 50% throughout Greece and may reach up to 85% for projects implemented on remote Greek islands.
• For owners of small-scale coastal fishing vessels with an overall length of less than 12 metres that do not use towed fishing gear, public aid amounts to 80% and may reach 85% on remote Greek islands.
• For owners of inland fishing vessels with an overall length of less than 12 metres that also do not use towed fishing gear, public aid amounts to 80%.
Which islands are included in the “Remote Greek Islands” category?
• The islands of the North Aegean Region.
• The islands of the South Aegean Region.
• Samothrace, Evros Regional Unit.
• Thasos, Kavala Regional Unit.
• The Northern Sporades, Magnesia Regional Unit.
• Skyros and Skyropoula, Euboea Regional Unit.
• Kythira and Antikythira, Piraeus and Islands Regional Unit.
• Gavdos, Gavdopoula, Paximadia, Chrysi, Koufonisi, Paximada, Dragonada, Dionysades, Dia and Elasa, Region of Crete.
• Othonoi, Erikousa, Mathraki, Paxos and Antipaxos, Corfu Regional Unit.
• Strofades, Zakynthos Regional Unit.
• Sapienza and Schiza, Messenia Regional Unit.
• Echinades, Kefalonia and Ithaca Regional Unit.
⬢ Eligible Expenditure by Category
Eligible expenditure is organised into six main categories. The following analysis serves as a practical guide to the types of interventions that may qualify for support.
Category A: Improving the safety of fishers on board fishing vessels
• Life rafts.
• Hydrostatic release mechanisms for life rafts.
• Personal locating beacons such as EPIRB devices.
See more Category A expenditure
• Personal flotation devices, survival suits, lifebuoys and life jackets.
• Flares and line-throwing appliances.
• Man-overboard recovery systems.
• Fire extinguishers, fire blankets, smoke and fire detectors and breathing apparatus.
• Fire doors and fuel tank shut-off valves.
• Gas detectors and gas alarm systems.
• Bilge pumps and alarm systems.
• Radio and satellite communication equipment.
• Watertight hatches and doors.
• Machinery guards, gangways and disembarkation ladders.
• Search, deck and emergency lighting.
• Release mechanisms in the event of underwater obstacles.
• Safety cameras, visual display devices and other equipment designed to improve deck safety.
Category B: Improving the health conditions of fishers
• Purchase and installation of first-aid kits.
• Purchase of medicines and emergency medical equipment on board.
• Provision of telemedicine services, equipment and medical imaging systems for remote medical consultations from vessels.
• Guides and manuals aimed at improving health conditions on board.
Category C: Improving hygiene conditions for fishers
• Sanitary facilities such as toilets and washing facilities.
• Galleys and food storage equipment.
• Water purification devices for the provision of drinking water.
• Cleaning equipment for maintaining hygienic conditions on board.
• Guides, manuals and software tools aimed at improving hygiene conditions.
Category D: Improving working conditions for fishers
• Deck railings.
• Shelters and modernisation of crew accommodation to provide protection from adverse weather conditions.
• Equipment improving the safety of crew accommodation and shared crew areas.
See more Category D expenditure
• Equipment designed to reduce strenuous manual lifting, excluding machinery directly associated with fishing activities, such as winches.
• Anti-slip paint and rubber mats.
• Noise insulation, heating or cooling insulation and ventilation equipment.
• Workwear and protective equipment.
• Emergency signs and safety signage.
• Risk analysis and assessment for the prevention or reduction of occupational risks.
• Guides and manuals aimed at improving working conditions on board.
Category E: Improving hull hydrodynamics
• Stability mechanisms such as bilge keels and bulbous bows.
• Expenditure on the use of non-toxic antifouling products or coatings designed to reduce friction.
• Expenditure relating to steering mechanisms, control systems and multiple rudders.
• Tank testing to document improvements in hydrodynamic performance.
Category F: Improving the quality and hygiene of catches
• Construction, expansion and upgrading of refrigerated areas and refrigeration machinery.
• Structures and equipment for processing, small-scale transformation, direct sales areas, innovative processes, new products, packaging and traditional recipes.
• Purchase of laboratory equipment.
See more Category F expenditure
• Installation and implementation of quality assurance systems.
• Waste treatment and disposal facilities.
• Purchase of a vehicle for the hygienic and safe transportation of fishery products, equipped with an enclosed refrigerated compartment and refrigeration system.
• A maximum of one vehicle per vessel and per vessel registration number is eligible.
• Ownership shares in the vehicle must correspond to the ownership shares in the vessel.
• Each beneficiary may hold a co-ownership share in only one subsidised vehicle.
⬢ Ineligible Expenditure
Ineligible expenditure includes, among other items, costs that are not directly connected to the operational objectives of the investment or that cannot be adequately documented.
• Purchase, construction or supply of equipment that is not necessary for the operational purposes of the investment.
• Works for which the supporting documentation does not allow expenditure to be verified.
• Purchase or installation of used materials, machinery and equipment.
• VAT for any category of expenditure.
• Other taxes, duties or charges.
See more ineligible expenditure
• Financing costs, financial transaction fees, foreign-exchange costs and exchange-rate differences.
• Company formation costs, notarial fees and travel expenses.
• Fines, financial penalties and legal proceedings costs.
• Purchase or installation of recreational equipment.
• Operating expenses.
• Staff remuneration and social security contributions.
• Works carried out by the beneficiary itself.
• Costs relating to the transfer of ownership of the vessel.
• Expenditure unrelated to fishery products produced by the potential beneficiaries themselves.
• Purchase of vehicles outside the specific conditions laid down under the Action.
⬢ Budget, Duration and Application
The minimum budget for each investment proposal is €5,000, while the maximum eligible budget may reach €500,000.
The implementation period is set at eighteen months from the date of the approval decision, with the possibility of an extension of up to six months in fully justified cases.
The starting date for eligibility of expenditure may not be earlier than 30.11.2022 and is determined in the Call for funding applications.
Applications are submitted electronically through OPSKE at app.opske.gr.
According to the Call, advance payments to beneficiaries are not provided for.
Action 1.1.2 has total public expenditure of €16 million, with the possibility of approving projects up to 110% of the available public funding amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main purpose of Action 1.1.2?
The main objective is to modernise professional fishing vessels through investments that improve safety, functionality, working conditions and the quality of catches without increasing fishing capacity.
Who can apply?
Owners of professional fishing vessels may apply as sole proprietorships, legal entities or co-ownership arrangements, provided that they engage professionally in fishing with an active fishing vessel and hold a valid professional fishing licence.
Is inland fishing also covered?
Yes. The Action also covers inland fishing, subject to the specific terms and eligibility requirements set out in the Call.
What is the grant rate?
The public funding rate starts at 50% and may reach up to 85%, depending on the type of vessel and the location where the investment is implemented.
Is the purchase of a vehicle eligible?
Yes. The purchase of a vehicle for the hygienic and safe transportation of fishery products is eligible, provided that it has an enclosed refrigerated compartment and refrigeration system and meets the specific conditions of the Action.
What are the minimum and maximum investment budgets?
The minimum investment budget is €5,000 and the maximum may reach €500,000.
Is an advance payment available?
According to the Call, advance payments to beneficiaries are not provided for.
The Investment Center provides support for eligibility assessment, application file preparation, submission of funding applications and monitoring the implementation of subsidised investment projects.
For more information, contact us at 2108028330, 2810823002, info@kei.gr.
