Last month, Santorini in Greece was struck by a series of seismic activities, disrupting locals and threatening the island’s cruise season — but now a date has been set for when ships can dock at the island
Santorini has announced the exact date that cruises will be allowed to dock again at the island following a series of seismic activity.
Last month, the island of Santorini in Greece was rocked by a series of seismic activity, with one earthquake measuring 5.3 in magnitude. Now, it has been announced that cruise ships will be able to return to the island on Sunday morning, March 23.
Cruise ships will be given the go ahead to dock at berths off the port of Athinios and at predetermined time, as not to impact coastal ferry routes. Celestyal will be the first ship to call at the island on Sunday morning, carrying around 1,200 passengers. The company has scheduled two calls per week to the island.
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According to data from the Thira Port Fund’s planning, at least five cruise ships are expected next week, and in total will carry around 6,000 passengers. In April, 35 arrivals are currently planned. The president of the Association of Cruise Ship Owners and Shipping Operators (EEKFN), George Koumbenas, commented: “The situation in Santorini and the neighbouring islands of the Cyclades, with the seismic tremors a few weeks ago, is a fact that has caused concern among residents and visitors – tourists.
“For the cruise and the disembarkation ports, mainly the old port, where the cable car station is located, we are in communication with all the competent bodies, regarding the course of servicing the cruise ships,” reports Santorini Press.
During a recent visit to Santorini, Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni stated: “Santorini remains one of the world’s top tourist destinations , with unique natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and exceptional hospitality. Despite recent seismic activity, the island is gradually returning to normality and is preparing for a dynamic tourist season.”
According to the Interdisciplinary Committee for Risk and Crisis Management at the University of Athens, more than 20,000 earthquakes of magnitude one or higher between January 26 and February 22, 2025 occurred near Santorini.
Since the activity, the authorities have been focused on getting the island back up and running. Following the seismic activity, Greek authorities expressed that ships should not dock at the main Fira port, where the cable car leading up to Fira is located for safety reasons. In addition, authorities decided that the cable car will not be operational for at least the next three months as the government continues to observe seismic activity.
Some stakeholders have also proposed constructing a temporary pier at Monolithos to allow alternative access, reports tovima.com. Passengers would then be transported to shore via tenders, but dredging work would be required to make sure the navigation would be safe.
It also remains unclear what will happen with the cruise tax, which was suspended due to the seismic activity on the island. Recent government discussions suggest the tax may still be introduced as infrastructure projects on the island require funding.