Ferry carrying 2,500 refugees and migrants docks at Piraeus

A ferry carrying about 2,500 migrants and refugees who had arrived on Samos and Lesvos from the nearby Turkish coast docked early Monday in Greece's main port of Piraeus near Athens.

The Eleftherios Venizelos left Samos Sunday with 988 migrants and picked up 1,512 from Lesvos.

On Sunday the Cypriot-flagged Tera Jet catamaran arrived in Piraeus carrying 1,745 migrants from Lesvos.

Authorities said about 11,000 migrants and refugees are currently on the island.

Meanwhile, coast guard collected 13 undocumented immigrants off the coast of Chios.

EU help

Following an agreement between representatives of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and the Greek government, the EU will send officials to eastern Aegean islands and Piraeus to help Greek authorities deal with the huge influx of refugees and migrants.

Kathimerini understands EASO staff will be sent to the Greek islands where thousands of refugees, mostly from Syria, have been arriving over the last few months. They will help inform the refugees of how they can apply for asylum.

Also, 15 European officials will be stationed in Piraeus to help Greek authorities relocate 14,000 refugees who arrive in Greece to other parts of the EU, as agreed by European leaders earlier this summer.