Agistri

A passenger ferry was forced to return to the port of Piraeus on Saturday after experiencing engine trouble while it was sailing north of Aegina island in the Saronic Gulf.

According to state broadcaster ERT, the Poseidon Hellas was en route from the islet of Angistri to Aegina, carrying 182 passengers, 18 crew members, 43 cars, three trucks and nine motorcycles.

The Environment Ministry has scaled back its plan to merge municipal water and sewerage companies (DEYAs) on the islands, following opposition from local governments. 

According to a draft bill set to be released for public consultation, the existing DEYAs and municipal water services in the islands of the Cyclades, the Dodecanese and the Northern Aegean will remain unchanged.

Authorities have uncovered a major land fraud attempt involving 45 plots of public land, totaling 550,000 square meters, on the islands of Hydra, Spetses and Agistri. A group of individuals from northern Greece is accused of using forged documents to illegally claim ownership of these lands, which include forested and agricultural areas.

Deputy Minister of Digital Governance Konstantinos Kyranakis, along with Stelianos Sakaretsios, chairman of the Hellenic Cadaster, have filed a criminal complaint with the Supreme Court regarding a suspected fraud ring involving falsified documents.

Deputy Minister of Digital Governance Konstantinos Kyranakis, alongside Stelios Sakaretsios, the president of the “Hellenic Land Registry” public legal entity, filed a criminal complaint with the Supreme Court against a scheme allegedly linked to forgery cases on the islands of Spetses, Hydra, and Agistri.

The Case

Officials on Agistri have issued fines of almost 9,000 euros in a clampdown on illegal camping on the Saronic island.

Spot checks on Friday morning by joint teams of police, foresters, firefighters and municipal officials found 29 violations of the ban on camping and movement in forested areas during the fire season.

A Greek passenger ferry carrying 198 people onboard crashed into the port of Agistri, in the Saronic Gulf on Friday, injuring lightly five people, the coast guard said.

"Achaeos", which serves the Aegina-Piraeus route, was trying to dock when the collision happened. The passengers who suffered minor injuries were transferred to Aegina.