That means that the route from Tobruk in Libya to Crete is becoming the new central refugee route, as no other Greek island has seen more refugees arrive this year.
Around 5,100 people reached the island in 2024, according to a statement by the union of water police officers in Crete. This year, some 4,000 people have already arrived.
The union said it was concerned that the numbers will rise even higher in the summer when weather conditions improve.
The coastguard estimates that thousands of people are waiting in Tobruk to cross to Europe.
A total of 11,305 migrants have arrived in Greece by boat this year, as of May 18, according to the UN refugee agency, with Crete accounting for almost a third of the arrivals.
Last year, around 54,000 people arrived in Greece by sea.
Under the EU’s asylum regulations, people must apply for refugee status in the member state where they arrive. Due to their geographical location, countries such as Greece and Italy see higher numbers of applications, from people making the perilous boat journey as they flee war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.
Athens is calling for a fairer distribution of the refugees within the EU and is resisting Berlin’s plans to send refugees back to Greece if they have already been granted asylum there.
GNA
PDC