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Port of Piraeus (Greece) - Port Information (ID: 35522)
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PIRAEUS.htm Piraeus Greece Greece Piraeus Port Information Selections Port Map Geographic Location Harbor as Haven Currents and Tides Visibility Hazardous Conditions Spring Summer Autumn Winter Protective or Mitigating Measures Moving to a new Anchorage Sortie or Remain in Port Scheduling Harbor Protection Local Hazardous Weather Conditions Wind Chill Table Heat Index Table Return To Ports List Untitled Document Geographic Location Geographic Location Coordinates: 37deg/56min N 023deg/39min E The Port of Piraeus is located in the southwestern Aegean Sea on the southernmost peninsula of mainland Greece. The island of Crete lies about150 n mi to the south. The port is the main port of Athens, the capital of Greece. The port lies at the innermost point of the Saronikas Gulf which opens tothe south. Entry to the Gulf is made between Cape Skillaion and Cape Sounion, about 27 n mi to the east-northeast. Piraeus is situated at the head of the Gulf on the eastern coastline, approximately 25 n mi from themid-point of the entrance. The western coastline of the Gulf is irregularwith many islands and bays, while the eastern side is more uniform and continuous. Both sides feature mountainous terrain with elevations ranging from 2500 ft to near 3500 ft. Numerous rocks, shoals and small islands are found in coastal waters throughout the Gulf. The harbor facilities for the Port of Piraeus are located within Kendrikos Harbor. The harbor is situated within a natural bay thatextends inland about 1 1/4 n mi. Entry is made from the west through a 170 yd wide channel between Themistokleous and B. Yeoryiou breakwaters.All mooring and wharfage in Kendrikos basin are of concrete construction.Berthing utilized by the U.S. Navy is located on the south side of the harbor about half-way into the basin. The harbor can handle vessels with drafts of up to 31 ft. Ship traffic is heavy both inside the harbor and outside the entrance area day and night. Cross traffic, during both day and night, is a particular problem outside the entrance. Pilots are required within Piraeus Harbor. For vessels entering the harbor, pilots board about 1000 yd west southwest of the entrance area. There are two anchorage areas in the vicinity of Piraeus that are normally used by U.S. Navy ships. One is located south of the island of Psittalia, about one n mi west of the harbor entrance. The other is in Falirou Bay approximately 2 1/2 n mi southeast of the harbor entrance. Carriers and other large ships generally use this second anchorage. Holding is considered good in sand and mud bottoms. Anchor dragging has been reported in Falirou Bay as a problem when anchored shoreward of depths of 72 ft or less, due to the hard bottom. Both anchorage areas areexposed to southerly winds and waves. Harbor as Haven Harbor as Haven There are no significant wave problems inside the harbor. Wind conditionscause the most problems at Piraeus. Sudden changes in wind force and direction occur, particularly during the period of March through May, in conjunction with passing migratory cyclones. The anchorages are exposed to southerly winds and waves. Southerly waves tend to build rapidly. Alternative anchorage areas in Elefsina Bay or north of Aiynia or Psittalia Islands can be used during strong southerly wind and wave events. Strong southerly winds associated with eastward tracking cyclonesare frequently followed by strong northerly winds. Anchoring to the northof islands in order to escape southerly winds, but in areas exposed to northerly winds, is not recommended. Currents and Tides Currents and Tides Currents and tides are negligible within Kendrikos Harbor. Under strong southerly winds tides may reach 1 ft, with persistent northerly winds over several days 2 ft tides may be obtained. Visibility Visibility Visibility is usually good. On rare occasions fog will reduce visibility to 200 yds or less. Conditions are usually worse during the early morning. Restrictions to visibility are associated with high pressure systems. During fall and winter morning visibilities of 2 to 3 n mi in fog and haze are likely, summer haze seldom restricts visibility to less than 5 n mi. However, a haze near the shoreline is prevalent during the twilight hours and may hamper piloting. Hazardous Conditions: Spring Hazardous Conditions: Spring The transition from winter to summer is prolonged with alternating periods of winter-and summer-like conditions. The frequency, intensity and extent of Sirocco conditions are at a maximum during spring. Sirocco conditions tend to develop slowly over a day or two, but may persist for several days. Siroccos bring cloudy weather with light, widespread precipitation and heavier localized terrain induced rain. Typical winds are south-to-southeasterly 22 to 33 kt and waves 5 to 7 ft.These are the most troublesome directions of open sea waves for wave conditions outside the harbor. Open sea conditions can be expected throughout the southerly exposed anchorage areas. A tendency for the piling up of water in the harbor was reported by Shaver, under persistentstrong southerly winds. This condition can cause problems for small boatsat boat landings with minimum freeboard. By late spring the persistent northerly flow of summer begins to dominate. A southerly 10 to 15 kt sea breeze will develop during the afternoons of late spring days when the prevailing northerly flow is lessthan about 15 kt. The sea breeze becomes established by mid-morning and lasts until about sunset. The sea breeze typically occurs about 25% of the days during late spring. Hazardous Conditions: Summer Hazardous Conditions: Summer There are no truly hazardous weather conditions to ocean-going vessels during summer in the Piraeus area. The prevailing wind becomes northerly (Etesian) in response to the development of the thermal low over southwestern Asia with relatively high pressure over the Mediterranean. A thermal low pressure trough extends westward along the southern coast of Turkey from the thermal low. The strongest northerly wind events will cause hazardous conditions for small craft in and around the harbor of Piraeus. However, during strong Etesian events the winds over the fully exposed areas of the Aegean Sea may reach storm force resulting in hazardous conditions for all size vessels. In the vicinity of the harbor the Etesian typically blows at 11 to 21 kt with fairly frequent periods of 22 to 27 kt. The strongest Etesians, which occur during July and August, may reach 34 to 40 kt. These most intense conditions develop when the thermal trough is most intense and/orshifted to its westerly most position off southwest Turkey. While no local indicators were identified during the 1990 port visit to Piraeus the tendency for an increase in clouds the day before and first day of Etesian events was noted as a well-known fact by Aegean Sea fishermen. During July and August the clouds are typically limited to scattered altocumulus on the day preceding the Etesian while thunderstormactivity over Greece tends to occur on the day before and first day of anEtesian during the May-June and September-October periods. Hazardous Conditions: Autumn Hazardous Conditions: Autumn The most hazardous aspect of weather in autumn, as elsewhere in the Mediterranean, is the rapidity with which the winter-type pattern is established. On average, the winter pattern is established around the endof the third week of October over the northern Mediterranean. While the first storms are not likely to be as intense as those later in the winter, the marked change from the summer Mediterranean weather can catchpeople unaware and unprepared. A migratory cyclone approaching from the west indicates the onset of winter-like events. Conditions relating to migratory lows are described in the winter section. Hazardous Conditions: Winter Hazardous Conditions: Winter The regional winter circulation pattern is dominated by high pressure over the relatively cold land masses to the north and east with low pressure over the warm Mediterranean Sea. Migratory cyclones approach thearea from the western quadrant. Over the Aegean Sea cyclones may take either a northeasterly track towards the Black Sea or continue eastward passing south of the local area. Movement of winter migratory cyclones tends to become quite erratic over this region of the Mediterranean. Approaching cyclones frequently stall over the Ionian Sea, the southern Aegean, or near Cyprus, followed by development of a secondary cyclonic center that moves rapidly eastward. Cyclones tracking eastward between the Port and Crete tend to produce the strongest winds. An additional hazardous condition associated with cyclones that pass south of the Portis the tendency for a rapid shift from strong southerlies (28 to 40 kt) with waves of 15 to 20 ft to even stronger northerlies (34 to 47 kt) as the center moves eastward past the local area. Temperatures will drop significantly with the storm passage and wind reversal. Freezing temperatures with wind chills below 0 deg F are likely within 24 to 48 hours, during December through March, following the eastward passage of a cyclone south of the local area. During those periods when a high pressure ridge extends over the Balkan Peninsula and Aegean Sea persistent fog may occur primarily during morning hours with visibilities restricted to 3 n mi or less. Protective/Mitigating Measures: Moving to a New Anchorage Protective/Mitigating Measures: Moving to a New Anchorage Moving from an outer anchorage into the harbor will provide protection from southerly winds and waves. Protection from southerly winds and waves can also be gained by moving to the north side of Aiynia or Psittalia Islands, or north of any other island or peninsula. However, due caution must be used in selecting protection from southerly winds in light of the tendency for strong northerlies to follow southerlies when migratory cyclones move northeastward through the area. Protected anchorages can also be found in Elefsina Bay north of Salamis Island. Note that pilots are required when transiting Salamis Straits. Protective/Mitigating Measures: Sortie/Remain in Port Protective/Mitigating Measures: Sortie/Remain in Port There is no sortie information available for this port. Protective/Mitigating Measures: Scheduling Protective/Mitigating Measures: Scheduling Scheduling: During periods of northerly flow afternoon winds along south-facing coasts, such as in the vicinity of Piraeus, are reduced by the seabreeze effects. During spring, summer and autumn seasons, under light-to-moderate northerly flow, a southerly sea breeze may be established. Due to this local countering of large scale by local scale winds during the warmest part of the day, the strongest northerly winds frequently occur before noon in the Piraeus area. Note that the sea breeze effect reinforces the northerly flow along north-facing coasts. Nearshore and over land winds typically drop off after sunset due to the stabilizing influence of land areas on the atmospheric boundary layer. This effect is greatest when skies are clear and winds are from the north. Harbor Protection Harbor Protection The Port of Piraeus is located within a natural bay with breakwaters defining its westward-facing entrance. As such it is protected from all significant wave action. Northerly and southerly winds of up to 34 to 47 kt are experienced over the water areas. However, heavy weather is not considered a significant problem inside the harbor. The anchorages are fully exposed to southerly winds and waves. Wind and Weather: The regional terrain around Piraeus is mountainous resulting in marked local influences on wind and weather. Wind is the primary problem within the harbor. Northerly winds prevail throughout theyear. The worst wind conditions in the harbor occur when the synoptic scale flow is from 020 to 040 deg and is funneled through the mountain pass to the north-northeast, resulting in enhanced winds spreading out over the harbor. The most hazardous conditions outside the harbor, in theanchorage areas, occur with south-to-southeast winds. These conditions occur when migratory lows track eastward south of the local area. Southerly winds can also affect conditions in the harbor due to the piling up of water, plus wave energy passing through the entrance. Under these conditions waves may break over the low docking facilities used forfleet landings. When a migratory low tracks over or to the north of the local area south-southwest to north winds are experienced. Wind from the western semicircle must be quite strong to cause significant problems; however, boating problems may occur in the eastern part of the harbor when westerlies exceed about 25 kt. During periods of moderate regional Etesian wind conditions the local wind pattern will be northeast 8 to 15 kt during the morning, shifting tosouth-to-southwest 10 to 15 kt (seabreeze) during the afternoon, then becoming northeast 5 to 10 kt after sunset. Coastal squalls can be quite intense and pose a particular threat for small craft. High winds and waves with locally heavy precipitation may develop rapidly with large variations in conditions over the distance of only a few miles. Waves: The port area is protected by land from northwest clockwise through east. It is, however, exposed to waves from other directions. Theouter harbor is adversely affected by southerly waves. The roadstead is exposed to southerly swell and wind waves from all directions. Under strong southerly flow deep water swell up to 15 to 20 ft may enter the bay and reach the anchorage areas. Local Hazardous Weather Conditions Local Hazardous Weather Conditions No local indicators were noted during the Port visit of 1990. Reiter reported that increasing cloudiness over the Balkan Peninsula and Aegean Sea on the day preceding the establishment of an Etesian wind period was a well-known fact by local fishermen. During the periods of May-June and September-October thunderstorms and lightning frequently occur on the daypreceding the outbreak of the Etesian as well as on the first day of the Etesian. During July and August, when the most stable atmospheric conditions exist over the Mediterranean, scattered altocumulus are typically noted on the day preceding the onset of the Etesian. The Port of Piraeus is located in the southwestern Aegean Sea on the southernmost peninsula of mainland Greece. Port of Piraeus (Greece) - Port Information