Cruise Ships Adjust Itineraries Ahead of the 48-hour Strike in Greek Ports

Nov 09, 2021

Several cruise ships had to adjust itineraries after Panhellenic Maritime Federation (PNO) announced a 48-hour general strike beginning November 10. The strike by the port workers is expected to put all major Greek ports on hold suspending ferry service and cruise ship arrivals.

The union strikes will affect Costa Deliziosa current itinerary, which already canceled its scheduled arrival in Piraeus for tomorrow. Instead, the ship will sail will visit the port of Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The Norwegian Epic will arrive in Piraeus shortly after midnight and will remain until Friday morning while it is expected to make visits to Volos, Mykonos and Patmos instead of Istanbul and Kusadasi.

Regent Seven Seas cruise ship, Seven Seas Splendor has canceled its scheduled arrival in Rhodes and Santorini and will dock in Piraeus after midnight. The ship will stay overnight for 2 days, during the strike, and will modify the schedule of its next cruise accordingly. Other cruise ships sailing in Greece are expected to adjust itineraries since their program has not been finalized yet.

Panhellenic Maritime Federation will hold a 48-hour nationwide strike in all ships starting at 06.01 am on November 10 until 06.00 am on November 12. The union leaders said that their employers ignore "the actual fact that for two years, from 2019, the salaries of seafarers remain the same despite the continuous increase in basic commodities when they received great financial support from the Greek government and the traffic of the ships has clearly increased.

The PNO Administration also emphasized that during the current strike the confederation of sailors will rise the dominant problems of the sector such as the renewals of the Collective Bargaining Agreements BCC 2020 and 2021 with real and substantial increases, based on modern ships and their real needs, in order to achieve the safety of both seafarers and passengers and the ships themselves.