Ferry

Weather problems persist in central and southern Greece on Friday, as the strong winds are keeping ferries docked and snowfall has blocked a number of roads in various regions.

No ferries sail out of the Attica ports of Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio due to gale-force winds, except for the large ferries to Aigina and Poros islands in the Saronikos Gulf.

The seabus and fast ferry company of Istanbul, known as İDO, has launched talks with its creditors to restructure a debt stemming from a loan which it obtained to buy vessels and equipment, Reuters reported on Feb. 7.

Ferry boats have been banned from sailing in the Aegean Sea as winds in the area reached speeds of 9 and 10 on the Beaufort scale on Tuesday morning, preventing safe passage.

Ferries to the Aegean islands are tied up at port in Piraeus, where only services to the nearby Saronic Gulf are running as usual.

Ferry operators have been showing interest in registering their vessels under the Cyprus flag, Cyprus's Deputy Minister of Shipping Natasa Pilides said.

She said this is partially due to the consequences of Brexit.

Departing from the Kabataş ferry dock every day, night cruise tours on Istanbul's legendary Bosphorus have been attracting scores of Arab tourists.

A passenger ferry crashed on Monday afternoon into a high-speed passenger ship anchored at the shipbuilding zone in Perama, southwest Attica, due to a mechanical failure, port authorities said.

"Salaminomahos" was travelling from Paloukia, the main port of Salamina, to Perama, when it collided with WorldChampion Jet. No injuries were reported and passengers disembarked safely.

Ferryboats remained docked in ports around Greece on Friday, cutting off connections between the islands and the mainland, as a storm dubbed Penelope swept across the country, bringing downpours and gale-force winds.

There were no ferry services from the ports of Piraeus, Rafina or Lavrio.

The seabus and fast ferry company of Istanbul, known as İDO, has cited seven economic reasons, including the recent depreciation of the Turkish Lira and the tender of a bridge across a major bay neighboring Istanbul.

The seabus and fast ferry company of Istanbul, known as İDO, has decided to shut down inner city lines due to "economic reasons."

High winds, some exceeding 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour), in parts of Greece have prompted authorities to halt ferry services between the mainland and the islands.

Authorities also said Wednesday that schools were closed on the Aegean Sea islands of Andros, Mykonos and Tinos.