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Amid the peak of tourist traffic in Greece, strong winds in the Aegean Sea are disrupting ferry services, leaving thousands of holidaymakers stranded.
Gale-force winds of up to 60 kilometres per hour in the Aegean Sea brought ferry traffic to a standstill on Friday morning, with authorities issuing a sailing ban that will be in place until at least 1 pm local time.
The sailing ban is in place at all major ports in Attica, with only a few routes in the Argosaronikos area still operating. Port authorities are waiting for the winds to die down before the ban can be lifted.
At Rafina port, sailings to the Cyclades have been suspended, though trips to Marmari continue as scheduled.
No ferries are departing from Piraeus, while Lavrio port has banned sailings to Kythnos and the Agia Marina–Nea Styra route.
Thousands of passengers did not leave this morning because of the ban and are waiting patiently to be able to travel to their holiday destination.
The Coast Guard has advised travellers to check with their ferry company for new departure times and avoid going to the ports where traffic congestion is severe due to hundreds of vehicles stranded by cancelled sailings
According to the weather forecast, there will be periods of very strong winds at least until Sunday, which may affect the operation of ferry services.
For this reason, the authorities recommend that passengers contact the local port authority and companies before travelling.