People gathered at the port of Rafina on Friday to travel, but the ships did not sail because of a strike. [Vangelis Zavos]
The port of Rafina, east of Athens, was hit by a seamen’s strike, supported by local residents. The reason for the strike is the port’s notoriously poor infrastructure.
The port, the gateway to many of the Cycladic islands in the Aegean Sea, has only four mooring berths. But up to 11 ships depart each day and as many arrive, forcing several ship to put anchor at sea, waiting for a mooring space to be freed.
The situation is even worse in the mornings, where departures take place: In the space of 45 minutes, from 7:20 am to 8:05 am each morning, five ships leave and a sixth departs at 8:35 am.
The problem does not end with the port. The road network is poor and, with each ship taking up to 100 vehicles, the roads are backed up for kilometers. A planned spur of Athens’ suburban railway that would reach Rafina is still in the planning stage.
