Ferry Service to Link Thessaloniki with Cyclades and Crete

Photo by Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Islands of Cyclades group will be linked with Thessaloniki and Crete via a bi-weekly ferry service to be launched in the upcoming period, announced Alternate Shipping Minister Nektarios Santorinios during the 15th Regional Conference held on Syros recently.

The route, to run twice a week for three months and connect Thessaloniki, Skiathos, Syros and other Cyclades isles with Heraklion on Crete, is subsidized by government funds for remote island regions.

“This ferry connection can create new markets for the Cycladic islands,” said Santorinios, adding that “every Friday and Sunday, a high-speed ferry will be launched from Piraeus, which will twice a week link Heraklion with the Cyclades, go to Syros, and from there to Santorini. In this way, the problem of Syros’ connection with the mainland is largely covered”.

The minister also referred to the infrastructure works currently underway on certain islands as well as to a pilot program that aims to make the transport of goods and people cheaper for remote island regions. In this direction, Santorinios said the government was “meeting the needs of the islanders with 60 million euros in funding for the first and second half of 2018, and with at least 150 million euros for each year after that”.

Santorinios also mentioned the thorny subject of the Athinios port on Santorini, which is budgeted at 8.400.000 euros and was supposed to have been completed in 2012. The minister said action should be taken against those responsible for the delay.