By
Rebecca Gibson |
Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) opened Themistocles, its newly extended, 5,600 sqm international cruise terminal, on 27 May 2013.
The ceremony was conducted by Konstantinos Mousouroulis, Greek Minister of Shipping and Maritime Affairs and blessed by the Bishop of Piraeus, the Messrs. Seraphim.
Located in front of a quay capable of handling two 300-metre cruise ships, the €4.2 million terminal has two separate arrival and departure halls, providing additional space for passengers and procedures such as for luggage handling and customs clearance.
With Themistocles and Miaoulis, the first of its passenger terminals, PPA can accommodate 25,000 passengers a day. A third, 3,500 sqm cruise terminal, named Agios Nikolaos, is scheduled for completion in 2013 and will serve the cruise port on Miaouli’s coast.
“The port of Piraeus is the main hub of our country’s cruise ports and the largest cruise port in the Eastern Mediterranean,” said president and CEO of PPA George Anomeritis. “By 2017, we will have completed all works for the cultural coast of Piraeus, turning the port into the country’s main gate of tourism and culture to accommodate cruise ships and their passengers.”
Passenger traffic at the Port of Piraeus has already increased by 25 per cent since the beginning of 2013.