# Iraklion (GR HER)

**UN/LOCODE:** GR HER  
**Country:** Greece  
**Water Body:** Aegean Sea; Mediterranean Sea; North Atlantic Ocean  
**Harbor Size:** Medium  
**Harbor Type:** Coastal (Breakwater)  
**GPS:** 35.3500, 25.1500

Known to Venetian merchants as Candia and to Byzantine traders as Megalo Kastron, Heraklion (GR HER) has channelled Cretan goods toward the wider Mediterranean for centuries. Today the port on Crete's northern shore is primarily a passenger, ferry and Ro-Ro gateway, handling roughly 3,000 vessels, around 2 million passengers and some 3 million tonnes of cargo each year. Container throughput is modest at about 22,000 TEU, so shippers needing scheduled box services or transhipment generally route through Piraeus instead. The facility offers around 14 berths along some 4.2 km of quay, with open storage for general cargo and containers. In late 2024 the port authority passed to a strategic consortium under Greece's port privatisation programme, with plans for two new cruise berths able to take vessels over 300 m. Exports centre on raisins, olive oil, wine, citrus and fresh produce, while imports include cereals, machinery, timber and manufactured goods; with no railway on Crete, all inland movement runs by road. For freight forwarders, Heraklion works best for island supply and Ro-Ro traffic, with Piraeus or Thessaloniki as the alternative for pure container volume.

## Transit Times & Routes

- [Piraeus → Shanghai](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/piraeus-shanghai)
- [Piraeus → Shenzhen](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/piraeus-shenzhen)
- [Piraeus → Guangzhou](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/piraeus-guangzhou)
- [Piraeus → Hong Kong](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/piraeus-hong-kong)
- [Piraeus → Tokyo](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/piraeus-tokyo)
- [Piraeus → Busan](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/piraeus-busan)

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*Freight Academy — Seaport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/iraklion-port-gr-her](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/iraklion-port-gr-her)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/iraklion-port-gr-her](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/iraklion-port-gr-her)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/seaports/iraklion-port-gr-her/llm-summary?lang=en*