Mykonos port is an island port in a touristic, high value area, typical of many famous Mediterranean touristic destinations. During peak touristic season (June – October), it hosts many thousands passengers each day, coming ashore from several mega-cruise ships of several thousand passengers each. The Island has two ports: the old port, with its new basin, which is under construction, and the new port. Both are located in the west coast of the island and are both called every day by an average of 5-6 cruise ships, often carrying more than 3,000 passengers each plus a number of smaller vessels, often VIP, and pleasure crafts. Many of the cruise liners are of US interests; hence security is very high on the port agenda. A typical daily peak season scenario is that of a couple of large cruise vessels disembarking 5-6,000 tourists, most of them extra Shengen, scheduled to remain on the island for no more than 7-8 hours all together. All this passenger flux, including a good percentage of elderly persons, must be accommodated swiftly, in conditions of maximum safety and security, without creating any discomfort to the disembarking tourists. In the case of Mykonos, this formidable challenge must be achieved with a strict minimum of land installations, due to the particular site and architectural restrictions. In addition, one should consider the fact that many tourists come ashore by tenders, as not all cruise ships find the necessary space to moor at a pier. Tenders enter the old port and moor at the main pier letting passengers disembark in the very heart of the town of Mykonos. As a matter of fact the old port basin includes the famous characteristic waterfront of the village, with all its shops, restaurants and other very valuable activities. For this reason the waterfront of Mykonos old port and adjacent urban areas can hardly be separated and tourism represents a high value resource for the economy of the island. For all the above reasons, the requirements for an EGate at a port like Mykonos are much more stringent than in big ports. In fact, Mykonos port is installing such an EGate, in addition to EGates that are installed permanently on board of some of the mega cruise ships calling in the island.
