ATHENS, Greece -- Almost 2,500 Syrian refugees arrived in Greece's capital Wednesday on a massive car ferry that serves as a shuttle and floating accommodation center, Greek news agency ANA-MPA reports. The Greek government chartered the Eleftherios Venizelos ship nearly a week ago to relieve local authorities on the Greek islands who had been struggling to cope with the influx of hundreds of migrants each day. The ship, a car ferry that can hold up to 2,500 people, serves as an accommodation and identification center for Syrian refugees and a ferry to transfer them from their points of entry on the Greek islands to the port of Piraeus in Athens. The United Nations refugee agency estimates that 160,000 people have arrived in Greece since the beginning of the year -- almost four times as many as came in all of 2014. Most of them are refugees fleeing the wars in Syria and Afghanistan who have risked their lives crossing the eastern Aegean Sea from Turkey to the islands of Kos, Samos, Chios, Lesbos, Kalymnos or Leros. But local authorities on the islands previously struggled to accommodate the migrants and facilitate their passage. Many had no other option than to camp out in public spaces, without access to medical and sanitary facilities. Reuters notes that Syrians have received priority access to the ferry over people arriving from other countries because they are considered refugees. The Eleftherios Venizelos made its first journey in its new capacity on Aug. 19, departing from the island of Kos with 1,700 passengers. It stopped at the islands of Kalymnos and Leros where it picked up almost 1,000 more. Since then, the ship has made the journey nearly every day filled to capacity. Upon arriving in Athens, most of the refugees immediately leave for the border, hoping to make their way through Serbia into Western Europe. Those who wish to stay, however, can find temporary shelter in a newly built reception center in the Athens neighborhood of Eleonas. To help Greece cope with the surging number of arrivals, the European Commission plans to immediately unlock 2.7 million euros ($3 million) to support efforts by the U.N. to handle the emergency in the country. Also on HuffPost: -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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