Ferry

A ferry on route from Marmari in Evia to Rafina in eastern Attica had to return to port after experiencing a power outage.

Some 221 passengers and 18 crew members were on board the "Panorama" when the power went out.

The vessel safely returned to Marmari at around 6 p.m.

The ferry operator said it will arrange for alternative transportation for passengers.

Rugged and serene, Serifos is only two and a half hours by fast ferry from Athens

The ferry tickets are still very expensive, especially on the inner-Cyclades routes, where for example the route Milos - Koufonisi costs €108! The second obstacle for passengers is the VAT, which was reduced due to the pandemic to 13% and this year it is to return to 24% - An Extension is requested by the shipping companies

Greece's major port authorities are steaming through the installation of power supply systems for the ships docked there.

Grimaldi Group's Minoan Lines has now applied ticket price hikes of 2.4% for passengers and vehicles for the Piraeus-Crete route, with passengers paying an extra euro per trip and vehicles charged an extra euro per meter of length.

Similar increases, of the order of 2.7%, are also being applied by the other major ferry company that connects Piraeus with Crete, the Attica Group.

The Shipping Ministry has announced that a new international tender is to be held on 73 unprofitable ferry routes starting February 29.

The servicing of unprofitable routes ensures that islands retain a regular ferry service all-year round.

Passengers on Apollon Hellas ferry faced disruption on Thursday after the ship suffered an engine failure before its departure from the port of Piraeus. 

The ferry, operated by Saronic Ferries, was schedule to travel to the island of Aegina, near Athens, early this morning. It has 130 passengers, 35 cars, 13 trucks and six two-wheelers on board.

Ticket prices for ferry routes between Greece and Italy have increased by approximately 5% starting Monday, in compliance with the European Union's decision to integrate maritime transport into the Emission Trading System (ETS). 

The ferry "Slavyanin" has collided with another vessel east of Cape Shabla and is currently sailing towards Varna. No one was injured in the incident, and there was no fuel spillage.

"Slavyanin" sails under the flag of the Russian Federation. It transports gas in railway tanks from Russia to Bulgaria, and after its stay in Varna it left for the Caucasus.

Ships in various Greek ports were unable to dock on Saturday due to strong northerly winds that reached up to 9 on the Beaufort scale in certain parts of the Aegean Sea.

Rafina and Lavrio ports remained closed, as did the Rio-Antirio maritime route. In northern Greece, ships were unable to sail between Alexandroupoli and Samothraki, Kavala and Prino, and Keramoti and Thassos.