Moment 600ft ferry carrying 100 passengers crunches into a cargo ship in head-on crash off Greek holiday island of Crete
A 600ft ferry collided head-on with a cargo ship in the port of Souda on the Greek island of Crete, in an incident captured on video and published on 21 July 2026. The footage shows the two vessels closing on each other despite at least one sounding its horn in warning, before the ferry's bow struck the front of the cargo ship's port side; no one was hurt in the collision.
The ferry, identified by local media as the Elyros, was carrying 100 passengers along with 32 cars and 74 trucks, while the cargo vessel, the Iosif K., was carrying 84 trucks. Footage showed the cargo ship drifting backwards after the crash, with police sirens audible in the background as authorities responded.
- Ferry and cargo ship collided head-on at Crete's Souda port
- Ferry carried 100 passengers, 32 cars, 74 trucks
- No injuries reported despite the forceful crash
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Ferry crossings between the Greek mainland and islands such as Crete carry both passengers and freight, often sharing busy ports with commercial cargo vessels. Souda, near the city of Chania, is one of Crete's main harbours and handles a steady mix of ferry and shipping traffic, meaning large vessels regularly manoeuvre in close proximity.
Collisions between ships at low speed in port are unusual but not unheard of, and typically prompt questions about navigation, right of way and how such incidents are handled by harbour authorities. In this case both vessels involved were substantial: a large passenger and vehicle ferry, and a cargo ship also carrying goods vehicles.
Incidents of this kind matter because of the potential for injury, damage and disruption to transport links that many residents and holidaymakers rely on, particularly during the busy summer travel season.