‘Vitsentzos Kornaros’ Ferry Serving Kythira Out of Order

The ‘Vitsentzos Kornaros’, the ship serving the Piraeus-Kythira, Antikythira and Kissamos route will remain in port until June 30 due to mechanical failure, Greek ferry operator LANE Lines announced this week.

The ferry boat was expected to operate its weekly routes starting on June 2 after a month out of service but the operating company said it will now be transferred to the Perama shipyards for repair.

The issue has spurred the reaction of Kythera locals with the mayor of the island, Efstatios Harhalakis, expressing his discontent in a letter to the shipping minister.

“June is almost over marking a 10 percent drop in the number of arrivals compared to last year, which is almost exclusively due to the cancelation of itineraries by the ‘Vitsentzos Kornaros’,” the mayor said, adding that the islands of Kythira and Antikythera are experiencing isolation significantly impacting local tourism.

Harhalakis is calling on the ministry to put pressure on shipowner LANE Lines to charter another ship which will operate the Piraeus-Kythira-Souda route, noting that according to the agreement, LANE is obliged to replace the ferry with a similar capacity vessel.