Reports: Greek ports still unready to process non-Schengen cruise ship passengers

Greece’s 61 border seaports are reportedly lagging in readiness to implement new entry and exit regulations for non-Schengen Pact tourists, possibly an ominous development ahead of what’s expected to be the best-ever cruise ship season in the east Mediterranean country.

The initial deadline for implementing the Schengen-wide system was May 1, 2023, although an extension has already been announced, possibly towards the end of the year.

A postponement of the EU’s European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) for next year was announced last month, although no exact date was given.

Nevertheless, the new Schengen Pact area regulations for entry and exit of third country nationals must be applied in all border entry points in the country, namely, 17 land crossings; four rail crossings; 28 airports and 61 seaports.

Of the latter, 12 are port authorities; 43 are the smaller port funds managed at the prefectural or municipal level and six are private ports. A figure thrown out for concluding necessary works at all seaports is 61 million euros.

However, according to reports, the majority of the 61 seaports still do not have adequate space to host infrastructure and equipment to apply the new entry/exit regulations.

One notable exception is the port of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, which last season quickly implemented all necessary actions to inaugurate a route connecting the city to Izmir, Turkey, which is an extra-Schengen destination.

According to officials from the association of Greek port authorities, the process to check non-Schengen passengers during their entry into the country obviously aims to maximize security, yet it is deemed as complicated and time-consuming, due to the biometric data and electronic fingerprints collected.

Even if the time necessary to process each passenger is reduced to one minute, no less than five hours will be needed for a cruise ship carrying 3,000 holiday-makers – something that’s unacceptable for a vessel’s itinerary and its guests.

According to the same association, the number of cruise ship arrivals in the country last year reached 4,780, with the number of passengers arriving exceeding 4.6 million, up by 123.5 percent and 209 percent, respectively, compared to 2021.

Compared to the last pre-pandemic year, 2019, the figure for vessel arrivals was up by 20 percent.