Chania: auction for Adrias wharf in Souda

The Chania Port Authority published on Tuesday 15 September 2026 the tender for the first phase of the Adrias wharf expansion project in Souda, involving excavations and dredging, with a budget of approximately 6 million euros without VAT, according to flashnews.gr. The final deadline for submission of bids is set for 22 October 2026, with envelope opening scheduled for the following day. The project is part of the overall “Construction of cruise terminal section of Souda port”, budgeted at 25 million euros, providing for wharf extension by 160 metres. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Port Authority, Dimitris Virirakis, announced that the small harbour at Kissamos Cavonissi was deemed suitable to operate as an established anchorage for receiving cruise ships, following an inspection conducted by former Royal Caribbean master captain Nikos Antalis.

Souda has for years been the main port for commercial and passenger traffic in Chania province, receiving a large share of cruise traffic calling at western Crete. The wharf expansion project has been in the Port Authority’s planning for years, as studies and environmental approvals for dredging have experienced significant delays. It is worth noting a difference in the published cost figures: in April 2025 Chania News had carried statements by Mr Virirakis himself estimating the total cost of the extension at 30 million euros, while this year’s tender announcement mentions a total budget of 25 million euros for the cruise terminal section construction project. The difference possibly reflects the finalization of technical design as the project matured.

For Chania, wharf expansion is expected to increase cruise ship reception capacity at Souda, reducing congestion in the port’s commercial section on days of multiple arrivals. For Kissamos, the prospect of including Cavonissi in the cruise map would mean an additional destination in western Crete, beyond the day excursions to Balos and Gramvoussa already departing from there. Mr Virirakis noted that, according to Mr Antalis’s inspection, the small harbour meets reception conditions with “very minor and rapid interventions”. At the same time, establishing a new cruise anchorage raises issues of seasonality and infrastructure that will need to be addressed before the first arrival, as small ports such as Kissamos are typically called on to upgrade supporting networks of passenger services, parking and transport, so that seasonal increase in traffic does not disproportionately burden local infrastructure. The establishment itself is still pending, as it requires a ministerial decision.

The project schedule at Souda provides for bid submission until 22 October 2026, while excavation and dredging work must be completed within 24 months of the contractor’s contract signature. For Kissamos, establishment of the anchorage at Cavonissi is expected to proceed via ministerial decision after completion of pending studies and approvals. As large cruise programmes have already finalized schedules through 2028, Mr Virirakis estimated that the first year with cruise arrivals at Kissamos could be 2029. The two projects are part of a broader effort to upgrade the province’s port infrastructure, including other recent developments in Chania, such as the positive opinion on two 711-bed hotels and the restoration of a municipal produce market space. Latest information on both projects is expected to emerge after bid opening in Souda and after publication of the relevant ministerial decision for Kissamos.