With the arrival of the floating crane on the evening of Sunday, October 19, the project “Construction of a ship service ramp for E/G – G/G ships in Agia Roumeli, municipality of Sfakia”, officially began, a project that is expected to substantially upgrade the port infrastructure of the area.
The work, which began on Monday, provides for the deepening and extension of the outer (western) pier, in order to ensure safe access and approach of large ships even in adverse weather conditions. The budget amounts to 1,071,200 euros (VAT included) and the project is financed by the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy through the Recovery and Resilience Fund, within the framework of the action “Interventions for the Upgrading of Regional Ports”. The implementing body is the Port Fund of Chania Prefecture, under the supervision of the General Secretariat of Shipping and Ports.
According to the study, the new ramp will be an extension of the existing ramp on the west side of the pier, with a length of 20 meters and a special orientation that allows safe access for ships even when westerly, southwesterly or northwesterly winds are blowing — conditions that have until now made the operation of the port difficult. The estimated completion time of the project is nine months.
The mayor of Sfakion, Ioannis Zervos, pointed out that “Agia Roumeli is acquiring a modern and safe port infrastructure that will improve the connection of the settlement with the rest of the coast of Sfakion”. He also stressed that this is a project of “vital importance, which will strengthen the local economy, tourism and the daily life of the residents”, recalling that the Environmental Impact Study had already been commissioned in 2019, when he was president of the Chania Port Fund.
At this point, it should be emphasized that this project comes to provide a permanent solution to a chronic issue of accessibility and safety, ensuring the uninterrupted sea connection of one of the most isolated but also popular destinations in the prefecture of Chania.
