İzmir–Thessaloniki Ro-Ro Line Set to Restart After Leaders’ Signature

By Bosphorus News Staff

Türkiye and Greece have signed a memorandum aimed at restarting Ro-Ro ferry services between İzmir and Thessaloniki, reviving a direct maritime link across the Aegean that was previously suspended due to low demand.

The agreement was signed during the 6th Türkiye–Greece High-Level Cooperation Council meeting in Ankara, attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The memorandum formally encourages the resumption of Ro-Ro services between İzmir Port and Thessaloniki Port.

The route had initially been launched on 10 October 2022 but was halted on 4 December 2022 after failing to generate sufficient commercial traffic.

Officials have not yet announced an official restart date. Turkish media reports suggest services could resume in the spring season, pending operational planning and market conditions.

The revival of the route is expected to support bilateral trade flows, logistics connectivity, and tourism traffic between western Türkiye and northern Greece. The maritime corridor also carries symbolic weight, reflecting efforts to maintain practical economic cooperation alongside a structured political dialogue process between the two countries.

Further operational details, including frequency, vessel operators, and cargo-passenger balance, remain to be clarified.