Crown Iris Completes Piraeus Call Under Police Security

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Port of Piraeus, Greece’s largest cruise gateway, on Wednesday, June 3, to oppose the arrival of the Israeli-operated cruise ship Crown Iris, with police deployed around the Athens-area port as the vessel made its scheduled call. The rally was organized by left-wing groups, trade unions and Palestinian solidarity organizations protesting Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.

The action extends a series of Greek port demonstrations targeting Crown Iris during its Aegean sailings. Earlier protests against the same ship disrupted at least one Greek port visit during the 2025 cruise season.

Scheduled Piraeus call continued under security

Police were present in force to prevent disruption. The ship completed its scheduled port call. The protest passed largely peacefully, while demonstrators called for stronger support for Palestinians and urged local authorities not to welcome the vessel.

Crown Iris was sailing a seven-night roundtrip cruise from Haifa that departed May 31 with approximately 2,000 passengers. The ship called at Kos on June 2 before arriving in Piraeus on June 3 for a planned 14-hour stay from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time.

The Panama-flagged Crown Iris is operated by Haifa-based Mano Maritime, which currently operates the ship as its only cruise vessel. The more than 40,000-gross-ton ship was built in 1992 and entered service with Mano in 2018 after earlier sailing as Norwegian Majesty for Norwegian Cruise Line and Celestyal Majesty for Celestyal Cruises.

Previous Greek protests shaped the response

Crown Iris faced similar opposition during the previous summer cruise season. In July 2025, demonstrators on Syros blocked access to the dock, preventing roughly 1,600 passengers from disembarking; the vessel departed without completing the scheduled visit and was rerouted.

Additional demonstrations have been associated with Crown Iris calls at Greek destinations including Rhodes and Crete. By late 2025, Greek authorities had increased security measures at some arrivals, including calls at Patras and Katakolo, as a precaution against further disruption.

The demonstrations have also generated debate within Greece’s tourism sector and broader public discussion. Supporters of the rallies frame the actions as solidarity with Palestinians, while critics have warned about possible consequences for tourism and argued that Israeli visitors should not be held collectively responsible for government policy.

The ship’s next listed Greek stops are Nafplion on June 4 and Syros on June 5, with the voyage due back in Haifa on June 7.