Greek seafarers’ unions PENEN and PEMEN, together with the Piraeus dockworkers’ union ENEDEP, have called a 24-hour strike for Friday 30 October 2026, affecting all passenger and freight ships departing from Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio. A separate nationwide PNO (Panhellenic Seamen’s Federation) action for the same day remained undecided as of 24 October; if confirmed, it would extend the disruption beyond those three ports to ferry routes across Greece.
What is affected
All passenger ferry departures from the three main Athens-area ports are expected to halt for the full 24 hours of October 30. This covers:
- Cyclades routes from Piraeus and Rafina (Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Ios, Milos and others)
- Crete routes from Piraeus (Heraklion and Chania overnight sailings)
- Dodecanese routes from Piraeus (Rhodes, Kos, Patmos, Symi)
- Ionian island routes from Piraeus and Patras connections
- Sporades and Evia routes from Rafina and Lavrio
Fast ferries and conventional overnight sailings are both affected. Scheduled arrivals into Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio on October 30 may also be disrupted as ships are unable to depart on preceding crossings.
Who this affects
Anyone with a ferry booking departing on 30 October from Athens-area ports should check with their operator before travelling to port. Passengers on overnight sailings leaving on the evening of 29 October are generally expected to travel as planned, but verify with your operator.
If you have flexibility in your itinerary, consider travelling on 29 October or 31 October, when services are expected to run normally. Passengers who cannot rebook may have grounds to claim a refund; contact your ferry operator directly.
If your sailing is cancelled
Greek maritime law requires operators to offer a refund or rebooking on the next available departure when a sailing is cancelled due to a strike. Keep your booking confirmation and contact the operator’s customer service line as early as possible, as hold times will be significant on the day.
For the most current status, check with your ferry operator directly. Our Greek island ferry guide covers the main routes, operators and booking platforms, and our guide to getting around Greece explains alternative transport options between the mainland and the islands when ferries are disrupted.
Travellers connecting from Athens airport to Piraeus port on 30 October should also factor in that the disruption may affect timetables. See our Athens airport guide for the latest on port transfers from arrivals.
We will update this article if the PNO confirms or cancels its nationwide action.