No ferries to some islands this summer?
A number of Aegean islands are in danger of being without coastal shipping service this summer due to the problems faced by ferry companies as well as the bureaucracy of the state that has complicated the process of allocating services when it abolished the Merchant Marine Ministry.
Sources from the Association of Passenger Shipping Companies (SEEN) have noted that there are a number of issues that must be solved, or fears of many Aegean islands being left without a ferry service could turn into reality over the next few months.
A key problem for the execution of routes and the survival of companies is the high cost of fuel, which last year soared by 44 percent from 2010 and this year is expected to see an even greater increase.
This fact combined with the reduction in passenger and vehicle traffic have rendered a number of routes as loss-making for operating companies.
