Severe weather conditions persist in the Aegean Sea, with the Greek Meteorological Service warning of 8–9 Beaufort winds, mainly in the northern Cyclades and Cabo Doro. The ferry ban affects coastal routes, while problems focus primarily on large ships that are affected by 9 Beaufort winds.
Ferry ban: What the meteorological service says about the gale warning
The director of the National Meteorological Center, Antonia Tasopoulou, addressed the strong wind phenomena that have caused difficulties for ship routes.
Specifically, she emphasized that “the 9 Beaufort winds are limited to the northern Cyclades, in the Cabo Doro area, the southern part of the central Aegean and the northern part of the South Aegean. The information we gave on Thursday afternoon was specific, that at 07:00 we would have 8–9 Beaufort winds in the northern Cyclades and Cabo Doro. Our new bulletin, issued this morning at 09:00, clearly shows that the 8–9 Beaufort winds will continue in these areas until tonight at 01:00,” she said today at noon (08/08) on ERT.
When asked whether there will be no 9 Beaufort winds after 01:00, Mrs. Tasopoulou noted: “No, there will be no 9 Beaufort winds in any area. We will see force 8 winds tomorrow in many areas of the Aegean, however, the major problems are with force 9 winds, which intensify the bans for large ships as well.
Regarding whether all ships sail in 8 Beaufort conditions, she replied that “each ship has its own limits and it also depends on the wind direction. With northerly winds that don’t create as much swell, I think that large ships are only restricted with force 9 winds. They travel normally even with 8 Beaufort winds.”
