Dozens of Greek ports are crumbling, captains warn

The situation on Samothraki, with the ferry connection to the island in the northern Aegean cut off for 12 days earlier this month, brought to light the myriad problems afflicting Greek ports.

Crumbling infrastructure, insufficient lighting, and the need for dredging to accommodating newer, bigger ships are just three of the problems that currently afflict at least 77 ports in Greece. And they do not just concern small, off-the-beaten-track ports, but some of the country's most important, such as the islands of Santorini, Mykonos, Aegina and Hydra.

"We pray when we enter the ports," a ship captain told Kathimerini. "Samothraki is just one of the many ticking time bombs in the Greek seas."

The Hellenic Association of Merchant Marine Captains had warned authorities about the urgent need to upgrade Greek ports in March 2018. It was 11 months before it received a...