«AIKATERINI P.»: off the Cyclades route

The Fast Ferries vessel «AIKATERINI P.» has completed its sailings on the route linking Rafina with Tinos, Mykonos, Naxos and Paros. On the afternoon of Monday 14 September 2026, the ship docked at the Perama shipyard, where it will remain for its customary annual lay-up and the maintenance work that usually precedes the winter period for coastal fleet vessels. The news was posted on Tuesday 15 September 2026, according to a report by naxostimes.gr, which recorded the completion of the ship’s sailing schedule on this particular route for the year. The Rafina - Tinos - Mykonos - Naxos - Paros connection was part of the summer network of coastal sailings that served both permanent residents and visitors to the islands this year, with the ship covering the route throughout the summer season. Its arrival in Perama marks the formal end of this year’s sailing season for this ship on this route, with no further details given for now.

The coastal connection between Rafina and the Cyclades has for years been one of the main transport routes to the islands of the central Aegean, operating alongside the routes starting from Piraeus. During the summer period, when passenger traffic peaks due to tourism, ferry companies typically increase their sailings to meet the higher demand for travel to and from the islands. With the end of the tourist peak, autumn is traditionally the period when several ships are temporarily withdrawn from their routes, in order to undergo scheduled inspections, technical checks and maintenance work required for their safe and smooth operation. The annual lay-up at shipyards, such as the one in Perama, is part of this established maintenance cycle for the coastal fleet, which repeats every year with the aim of ensuring the safe operation of the ships before the next summer sailing season in the Aegean.

For residents of Naxos, Paros, Mykonos and Tinos, a ship’s withdrawal from the Rafina route outside the tourist season is usually linked to a broader thinning of the sailings available to Attica. In autumn and winter, demand for coastal travel falls compared with summer, but the needs of permanent residents to travel to Athens, for professional, medical, educational or family reasons, remain steady throughout the year. The reduction in sailing frequency outside the season is a longstanding issue for the Cyclades islands, as it affects both the movement of people and the transport of goods and products that support the local economy and residents’ daily life. This development carries particular weight for islands such as Naxos and Paros, where the connection with Rafina serves as an alternative route to Piraeus, offering flexibility to residents and local businesses throughout the year.

The naxostimes.gr report does not state when the ship «AIKATERINI P.» is expected to return to sailings, nor the exact duration of the annual lay-up and maintenance work at the Perama shipyard. It has also not been announced how the Rafina - Tinos - Mykonos - Naxos - Paros route will be covered in the meantime, nor whether another Fast Ferries vessel or one from another company is planned to serve this connection. No information has been given regarding possible changes to the schedules of the other routes serving the same islands, nor any impact on the transport of passengers and vehicles in the coming weeks. Until a further announcement is made by the shipowning company or the competent port authorities, the question of covering the route remains open, with residents and businesses on the islands awaiting clarification for planning their travel in the coming period.