Symi Chat

Does anybody know when the new ferry port is due to come into operation ? We are coming to Symi in early July and I was wondering if it will be in use by then.

It was due to open today and judging by this picture from Νικόλας Μαυρικάκης It's already in use!

What a great picture showing 3 large vessels bringing much needed visitors to boost Symi's economy

The "new ferry port" is intended to permit larger ferries to call at Symi, along with large cruise ships. Up till today ferries were restricted in total length by the width of the harbour at the Clock Tower, and traffic chaos happened every Wednesday and Friday when the large Blue Star Patmos (pretty much the maximum possible size before) called there.

Today the new quay was officially opened by the President of Greece, and the largest ferry in the region, the Superfast XII, made a one-off call. The Blue Star Patmos is 146 metres long - while the Superfast XII is 200 metres. By comparison,the Panagia Skiadeni, seen at the clock tower in the photo, is far from a large vessel at just 83 metres long.

Unless you are due to arrive on a Blue Star ferry, you almost certainly won't see any difference in where your ferry ties up, the objective is to remove heavy vehicle traffic from the area round the harbour, and not to shift day trippers to an inconvenient location. There isn't a date for regular use of the new quay to start. Although the quay is usable now, essentials like ticket offices and waiting areas are still to be completed.

Thank you Andy for your very informative post.

There's more about the new harbour extension on Andy's travel blog http://www.andyward.me.uk/symiblog/?p=112 It's well worth a read.

There is currently no power and no water at the new harbour - so it will be a while before it can be used properly! But seeing the Superfast tied up there was a very impressive sight and can only mean good things to come!