Update, 30 October 2026: The strike started as planned. On Friday morning, ships stayed tied up in the ports of Piraeus, Rafina, Lavrio, Patras, Igoumenitsa, Elefsina and Rio-Antirrio, eKathimerini reports, using the Greek news agency AMNA.
The demands are the same: a 12% pay rise in collective agreements, better work and safety conditions, a seven-hour working day and medical staff on board. eKathimerini also reports that more nationwide labour action is planned for 25 November.
Three Greek seafarer unions are holding a 24-hour strike on Friday 30 October 2026. The strike runs from 00:01 to 24:00. Greek media reported before the strike that ships would stay in port at Piraeus, Rafina, Lavrio, Patras, Igoumenitsa, Elefsina and Rio-Antirrio.
The three unions are PEMEN, the union of merchant marine engineers, and "O Stefenson", the union of engine ratings. The third is PENEN, the union of deck ratings. The main Greek seafarers' federation, PNO, is not named among the strikers in these reports.
What the unions want
PEMEN and Stefenson published a list of demands, as reported by the public broadcaster ERT and by CNN Greece:
Dangerous sea areas, such as war zones, should be officially recognised as war zones, so that crews get the protection they need.
New collective agreements with a 12% pay rise. A collective agreement is the deal on pay and conditions between unions and shipowners.
Better crew numbers on ships, which the unions call manning levels.
Stronger health and safety measures.
A seven-hour working day, a five-day week and a 35-hour week.
A doctor on board ships by law.
PENEN says the wars make work at sea more dangerous. In its statement it counts 28 attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf in the first 21 days of October. For the Black Sea, it speaks of 570 confirmed attacks, 40 seafarers killed and hundreds injured. These are the union's own figures.
PENEN also says rising prices have already eaten up the small pay rises in the current two-year collective agreement.
Part of a wider day of action
The strike is part of an international day of action by port workers in more than 100 ports, ERT reports. ERT says the protest is against shipping weapons to Israel through ports and against the military use of ports.
In Greece, port employees will also stop work from 10:00 to 13:00 local time. The Piraeus Labour Centre has called a 24-hour strike. The unions plan a rally in Piraeus at 10:00 in Municipal Theatre Square.
Ferry changes
Ferry companies have already changed their timetables. A notice on the ANEK website lists many cancelled daytime trips from Piraeus on 30 October, for example on Blue Star ferries. Some ferries will leave late in the evening instead, from 23:00. Minoan Lines moved its Piraeus to Milos and Heraklion sailing to 23:00. Saronic said all its trips that day are cancelled.
What it means for crews
If you work on a Greek ferry or coastal ship, ask your union and your company how the strike affects your ship and your watch schedule.
If you must travel to join a ship in Greece on 30 or 31 October, check the ferry company's website. Many trips are cancelled or moved to the night.
If you work in the Gulf or the Black Sea, check your contract for war-risk rules. Read our posts on the IBF warlike areas list and on seafarer deaths in the Black Sea.
Crewboard will report if the strike leads to new agreements on pay or war zones.
Cover photo: Ferries in the port of Piraeus, Greece, October 2015. Illustrative photo, not taken during the strike. Photo: Palickap/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
Sources: eKathimerini (AMNA), 30 Oct 2026: Ships remain docked at seven ports as seafarers strike, ERT Open, 26 Oct 2026: Ships tied up in seven Greek ports on 30 October, the unions' statements (in Greek), CNN Greece, 26 Oct 2026: Strike on ships on 30 October, tied up in seven ports (in Greek), OT (Oikonomikos Tachydromos), 27 Oct 2026: Seafarers strike to keep ships at dock on October 30, ANEK Lines, 26 Oct 2026: Strike on 30/10/2026, itinerary changes, Minoan Lines, 26 Oct 2026: Timetable notice for the 24-hour strike on 30 October (in Greek), Aegina Portal, 24 Oct 2026: Ships tied up on Friday 30 October because of the 24-hour seafarer strike (in Greek).
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