Drop in trucks to Italy has migrants seeking other way West

Capital controls imposed last month have led to a significant decline in the number of cargo trucks leaving the western Greek port of Patra for Italy, which, in turn, has led to a drastic reduction in the number of irregular migrants squatting around the port in the hopes of sneaking onto a vehicle bound further into the European Union, Harbor Master Tryfon Korontzis has suggested.

Korontzis said that in a single day at Patra Port, three regular ferries bound for Italy may carry a total of just 50 trucks containing cargo.

The harbor master said that since the drop in vehicle traffic was noted after the imposition of capital controls, the number of migrants sleeping in abandoned buildings near the port or begging at traffic lights also appears to have gone down. He suggested that the two may be connected, with migrants seeking different routes westward into Europe.