Gale winds up to 9 Beaufort force ferry departure bans at Rafina and Lavrio on 14-15 August 2026
Gale-force winds up to 9 Beaufort forced ferry departure bans at the Greek ports of Rafina and Lavrio on 14 and 15 August 2026, disrupting the peak 15 August holiday exodus to the Aegean islands.
Gale winds close Rafina and Lavrio
Gale-force winds reaching 8 and 9 Beaufort across the Aegean forced a departure ban at the ports of Rafina and Lavrio on the morning of 14 August 2026. Gusts exceeded 100 km/h, according to the Greek Coast Guard. The ban coincided with the Dekapentaugousto (15 August) holiday exodus, when thousands of travellers head to the Cyclades and other Aegean islands. From Rafina, only the local route to Marmari continued to operate during the morning closure. Lavrio saw no departures at all until the ban was lifted.
Piraeus cancellations and modified routes
At Piraeus, most sailings proceeded normally, including routes to the Argo-Saronic Gulf islands. However, four scheduled departures to the Cyclades and Crete were cancelled on the morning of 14 August: Blue Star Paros (to Syros, Tinos, Mykonos), Eurochampion Jet 2 (to Syros, Mykonos, Naxos, Ios, Koufonisi, Thira), Super Speed 4 (to Paros, Naxos, Koufonisi), and Champions League Jet 2 (to Syros, Tinos, Paros, Naxos, Thira, Heraklion). Some Piraeus-based vessels that did depart altered their island port calls due to the adverse weather. Coast Guard lieutenant and spokesperson Georgia Chatzinikita said the situation remained fluid, with decisions on executions, modifications, or cancellations taken according to how weather conditions evolved.
Ban lifted at 16:00 on 14 August
The Coast Guard announced that the departure ban at Rafina and Lavrio would be lifted after 16:00 on 14 August. Five departures were scheduled from Rafina beginning at 16:00: Aikaterini P. and Fast Ferries Andros to Tinos and Mykonos, Superferry and Andros King to Andros, and Andros Queen to Tinos and Mykonos. From Lavrio, three sailings were scheduled, including Superstar to Andros, Tinos, and Mykonos, and Terra Jet 2 to Tinos, Mykonos, and Paros. Additional departures were added from Lavrio to handle the holiday passenger surge, including a 23:55 Aqua Blue sailing to Agios Efstratios, Lemnos, and Kavala, and a 01:00 Artemis departure to Milos on 15 August.
- Departure ban imposed at Rafina and Lavrio; 4 Piraeus sailings to Cyclades and Crete cancelled
- Ban lifted at Rafina and Lavrio; scheduled sailings resume with added routes
- First departures: Aikaterini P. from Rafina and Superstar from Lavrio
- New departure ban imposed at Rafina and Lavrio until 13:00
- Reassessment of conditions expected; only Rafina-to-Marmari local route running
New ban imposed on 15 August
By the morning of 15 August, strong winds up to 9 Beaufort persisted across the country, prompting a new departure ban at Rafina and Lavrio lasting until 13:00. Theofanis Balatsoukas, press spokesperson for the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, confirmed the ban in remarks to ERT and said a reassessment would follow at 13:00. From Rafina, only the local route to Marmari continued to operate. At Piraeus, most sailings proceeded normally with minor modifications, except for a few routes. The Coast Guard urged travellers to contact port authorities and ferry companies for updated schedule information before heading to the ports.
Ongoing weather advisory
The Hellenic National Meteorological Service (EMY) forecast gale winds affecting large parts of the Aegean on 14 August, including the northeastern and central Aegean, the Kafireas Strait, the southern Evian Gulf, Karpathos, the Kythera Sea, and the southwestern Cretan Sea. Despite the lifting of the first ban and the gradual normalisation of ferry traffic on 14 August evening, conditions remained changeable. Ferry operators and port authorities continued to advise passengers to verify schedules before travelling, as further modifications or cancellations remained possible depending on weather developments.
