---
title: "Greece to build escape port on Santorini as quakes continue, says minister"
description: "ATHENS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Greece will soon set up an evacuation port on the island of Santorini to facilitate the safe escape of people in case a bigger quake hits the popular tourist destination, a Greek minister said on Monday."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Disasters"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-02-17-greece-to-build-escape-port-on-santorini-as-quakes-continue-says-minister/"
published: "2025-02-17T13:36:40"
updated: "2025-02-17T13:36:42"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 303
---

# Greece to build escape port on Santorini as quakes continue, says minister

> ATHENS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Greece will soon set up an evacuation port on the island of Santorini to facilitate the safe escape of people in case a bigger quake hits the popular tourist destination, a Greek minister said on Monday.

By Reuters · Published 17 February 2025, 15:36 SAST · Updated 17 February 2025, 15:36 SAST

## Key points
- As Santorini shakes off tens of thousands of mild quakes and prepares for potential seismic drama, authorities are racing to build an emergency ferry port while locals are advised to steer clear of coastal cliffs—because who needs a relaxing vacation when you can have an unexpected geology lesson instead?
- Santorini experiences unprecedented seismic activity, prompting mass evacuations and construction bans.
- Authorities warn of potential larger quakes as thousands of mild tremors shake the island.
- Plans for an emergency evacuation port are underway to ensure safe ferry access amid ongoing risks.
- Experts caution that the seismic situation may persist for several months, urging residents to remain vigilant.

## Content

Santorini, a volcanic island in the Aegean Sea, has been shaken by tens of thousands of mild quakes since late January, forcing thousands of people to flee, and authorities to ban construction activity, and shut schools and nearby islands.

No major damage has been reported but scientists have said the seismic activity was unprecedented even in a quake-prone country like Greece and have not ruled out bigger tremors.

They have identified the main ferry port at the foot of a precipitous slope and other sites across Santorini as weak links, although they have not said they cannot be used in an emergency situation.

Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Greece will build an evacuation port for the safe docking of passenger ferries until a new port infrastructure is in place.

"Along with the new port in Santorini which is being prepared, there was a decision for setting up an escape port on the part of the island where passenger ferries would be able to dock in an emergency," he said in an interview with Greek ANT1 television.

Although the tremors lessened over the weekend, local authorities extended emergency measures for a third week on Sunday and reiterated calls for people to stay away from coastal areas and steep hillsides prone to landslides.

"This story is not over," Costas Papazachos, a seismology professor, and a spokesperson for the Santorini quakes told public broadcaster ERT.

"Both authorities and habitants should get used to a rather unpleasant situation for some time, it could be another two, three months."

Santorini took its current shape following one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, around 1600 BC.

Seismologists have said the latest seismic activity, the result of moving tectonic plates and magma, has pushed subsurface layers of the island upwards.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou, editing by Ed Osmond)