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Port of Thessaloniki (Greece) - Port Information (ID: 35524)
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THESALON.htm Thessaloniki Greece Greece Thessaloniki 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: 40deg/38min N 22deg/56min E The Port of Thessaloniki, Greece is located in the northwest Aegean Sea on the northern shore of the Gulf of Thessaloniki. It is about 300 n mi north of Crete and about 315 n mi west of Istanbul. The Port is situated on the north shore of the Bay of Thessaloniki in the northernmost portionof the Gulf of Thessaloniki. The Port is in the western portion of the City of Thessaloniki which is situated on the slopes of a steep hill thatextends along the eastern side of the Bay. A low lying flat coastal plainextends 20 to 30 n mi west and northwest from the Port. The plains include the mouth and delta area of the Vardar River which enters the Gulf of Thessaloniki about 10 n mi southwest of Thessaloniki. Mountainousterrain lies close along the western portion of the Gulf of Thessaloniki and around the northern and eastern side of the plains area. The Vardar River Gap extends through the mountains to the north producing a pass from which strong cold northerly winds flow during the winter. The Port of Thessaloniki is located on the northern shore of the Bay ofThessaloniki in the western part of the City of Thessaloniki. The harbor is formed by a large breakwater that extends northwest and west along thecoast for over 3000 ft with moles near the ends which partially close offthe harbor. Entrance can be made through either end. The eastern entrancehas a width of 656 ft and a depth of 35 ft; the western entrance has a width of 980 ft and depth of 27 ft. The Fleet Landing is generally made inboard or outboard of the eastern most mole. Fleet Landing can also be established near the American Consulate in the vicinity of the prominent white tower located about 3/4 n mi east of the eastern entrance of the harbor. The 'conventional' port, located inboard from the breakwater, consists offive piers with a total length of about 15,652 ft. A modern container terminal located just west of the conventional port provides a large sixth pier. Alongside depths of the conventional port range from 18 ft to40 ft. Any pier could be used for berthing. The preferred berthing for U.S. Navy ships, as well as the Fleet Landing, is on pier 1 (eastern pier). Ships may anchor approximately 1 mile south of the eastern entrance in depths of 48 ft to 60 ft. Anchorage should be made as close as allowed (1/2 n mi) to the breakwater for maximum protection. Harbor as Haven Harbor as Haven The harbor provides protection from all wave conditions. During the strongest wind events, generally greater than 33 kt, mooring and cargo handling operations may be impeded. Anchorages are exposed and ships may drag anchor during strong wind events. Broad mud shoal areas west of the port and anchorage area result in a high incidence of groundings, but dueto the soft mud bottom damage is generally minimal. Small boat operationsoutside the harbor are likely to be canceled during high wind events and can be hazardous during summer afternoons due to strong sea breezes and choppy wave conditions in the vicinity of the harbor. Because of the infrequent severe wind conditions and the protection from deep water swell and limited fetch lengths for wind waves, the area seldom experiences extremely hazardous conditions. However, the anchorageis exposed to the winds, and extensive shoaling exists to the west of theharbor and in the vicinity of the entrance to the Bay making navigation hazardous during extreme wind conditions. Passage to/from this area during strong winter northerly wind events should be avoided especially by vessels with large sail areas and/or those riding high in the water. Currents and Tides Currents and Tides Tides and currents are negligible under normal circumstances. During strong southerly winds tides of 2-3 ft may occur. During the spring floodperiod (March-April) strong currents may be experienced in the vicinity of the mouth of the Vardar River due to river freshets. Visibility Visibility During the November through March period, when a high pressure ridge is located over the area, persistent fog may occur. Early morning visibilityof less than 50 m is typical with limited improvement during the afternoon to only a couple miles. These conditions will persist as long as the ridge and light wind conditions last, generally for two to three days. During summer mornings (0530-1030) a low-lying haze layer restricts visibility to a few miles and makes visual navigation difficult. When theEtesian pattern brings northeasterly winds to the region blowing dust maycause temporary restrictions to visibility. Hazardous Conditions: Spring Hazardous Conditions: Spring The best weather conditions are experienced during spring. Winter-type Bora patterns are weak, and the summer Etesian pattern has not yet developed. Strong currents may be encountered near the mouth of the Vardar River during March and April during flooding periods. Hazardous Conditions: Summer Hazardous Conditions: Summer Summers are windy with alternating southerly sea breezes and occasional moderate northeasterlies during strong Etesian events. Wind and wave conditions may be hazardous to small boat operations. Etesian wind speedsare likely to decrease in the afternoon due to offset by sea breeze. Visibility is typically restricted in haze, and blowing dust accompanies the northeasterly wind events. Visual navigation may be hindered. Hazardous Conditions: Autumn Hazardous Conditions: Autumn Autumn weather conditions are good. The primary hazardous factor is the tendency for rapid transition to winter conditions which may catch people, with only spring and/or summer experience, unaware. The first winter type migratory low can be expected any time after the third week of October. Hazardous Conditions: Winter Hazardous Conditions: Winter The worst conditions for vessels in the harbor, anchorage area, or entering/departing the Bay occur during strong north-northwest winds. Locally these events are known as 'Vardares', regionally they are known as Boras. They result from the funnelling of winds through the Vardar Gapwhen high pressure builds to the north and low pressure exists over the Mediterranean to the south. Due to the funnelling effect, wind direction may be nearly perpendicular to the isobars. In general, high pressure builds over southeastern Europe with low pressure, typically a winter cyclone, over the eastern Mediterranean. Because the Bora reflects synoptic scale features, which can be identified at the surface up through and beyond the 500 mb level, the numerical model forecasts should provide good guidance for Vardares/Bora events. Winds of 38 to 47 kt lasting for 1 to 5 days are typical. Maximum winds greater than 63 kt were recorded on one occasion during the 20 years prior to the 1990 port visit. Strong Vardares can build waves of 4 to 7 ft at the outer anchorage and channel leading into the Bay. Freezing temperatures may be experienced during Vardares which, when combined with the winds, result in equivalent chill temperatures in the range of 0 to -20 deg F. Migratory cyclones approaching from the west (Genoa lows) or south (Sciroccos) result in moderate southwesterly winds of 17 to 27 kt with 4 to 7 ft waves a few times each winter. Cloudy, rainy weather with scattered thunderstorms is experienced with these systems. If the migratory lows track into the eastern Mediterranean south of the port, strong northerly winds may follow the passage of the low. During periods when the European high ridges southward over the Balkan Peninsula near calm winds and fog with reduced visibility may persist forseveral days. Visibility may be restricted to near zero during night and morning hours with only slight improvement during the afternoon. These conditions will last as long as the ridge persists which typically is for2 or 3 days. The large scale winter pressure pattern has high pressure over the cold continental areas and low pressure over the relatively warm MediterraneanSea. The prevailing wind at Thessaloniki during the winter is northerly reflecting the flow around the southern portion of the high pressure system over southeastern Europe and northern Balkan Peninsula. Strong winter northerly wind events are nearly always associated with cyclonic activity over the eastern Mediterranean resulting in a steep pressure gradient over the Balkan Peninsula between the high over Europe and the low to the south. Protective/Mitigating Measures: Moving to a New Anchorage Protective/Mitigating Measures: Moving to a New Anchorage There are no alternate anchorages in the local area. 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 During summer sea breezes increase during the afternoon reaching maximum speeds in late afternoon and early evening. Morning periods are frequently near calm during all seasons. Minimum visibilities due to fog and haze are experienced during the mornings with lightest wind conditions. Berthing operations and small boat operations are likely to be curtailed during strong Bora events. Under strong Bora conditions there may be little or no abatement of winds during the night and morningperiods due to reinforcement of the gradient winds by the land breeze. With weaker northerly wind events the sea breeze may cancel out the gradient flow and near calm conditions may develop during the afternoon. This is most likely during summer when the sea breeze regime is strongest. All of the wind factors addressed in the preceding paragraph on scheduling relate to small boat operations. The most protected Fleet Landing is inside pier 1 at the eastern end of the harbor. Strong summer sea breeze conditions during late afternoon/early evening make conditionsnear the harbor entrance and exposed areas outside the harbor hazardous due to onshore winds and choppy wind waves. Except during the most extreme wind conditions, light wind conditions will prevail during eitherthe morning (sea breeze regime) or later in the day (weak northerlies regimes). As a result there will be a period of favorable conditions for small boat and alongside operations at some time during most days. Harbor Protection Harbor Protection The Port of Thessaloniki is protected from all wave conditions. The strongest wind events will result in hazardous wind and/or wave conditions for cargo handling, berthing operations, and alongside or small boat operations outside the harbor. The anchorage is exposed to thewinds and anchor dragging may occur. The Port of Thessaloniki is exposed to both southerly and northerly strong wind events. The anchorage is also fully exposed and there are no alternate local sheltered anchorage areas. Extensive shoaling to the westof the anchorage, extending westward to beyond the Bay entrance, results in navigation hazards. Restricted visibility due to haze, frequent mirages over the low coastal regions, and muddy water combine to create additional navigation hazards. The mud bottom extends into the anchorage area limiting the holding. Anchor dragging is likely for large sail area vessels particularly during the first hour or so until the anchor can digdeep into the mud bottom. Wave problems are limited to small craft operations outside the harbor and alongside operations in the anchorage area. Waves of 4 to 7 ft may beexperienced during summer or winter. Spring and autumn experience lower winds and wave heights. Deep water swell does not affect the area. 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 a strong Etesian wind period was a well-known fact by local fishermen. During the periods of May to June and September to October thunderstorms and lightning frequently occur on the day preceding 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 Thessaloniki, Greece is located in the northwest Aegean Sea on the northern shore of the Gulf of Thessaloniki. Port of Thessaloniki (Greece) - Port Information