The building of the Old Port Authority in Rethymno is a former customs house. It was used at least once in October 2024 to accommodate third country nationals upon arrival in Crete, and then on a more regular basis during and after summer 2025. As journalists have not been granted access to the building, little information is publicly available on conditions inside. The limited information available indicates that the building consists of a narrow room in which people are held in cramped conditions. Chemical toilets have been installed by the Greek authorities and detainees are provided with mattresses to sleep on.

Pictures show a dilapidated facade of the building, which has been described by media as “neglected” and giving “a sense of abandonment and indifference”.

In October 2024, the old Port Authority building was used to hold 37 Egyptian nationals, including three minors. In July 2025, a total of 629 third country nationals mainly from Egypt, Sudan and Bangladesh were staying between the building of the old Port Authority (187 people) and the commercial port (442 people) - described as an open-air area where detainees were reportedly exposed to sun without adequate shaded areas. The 442 migrants were reportedly transferred two days later to the building of Kitrenosi, a separate facility located 30 minutes away which has been used several times in 2025 to accommodate third country nationals.

In September 2025, it was reported that 37 people - among them four minors - had been de facto detained in the facility for 10 days before 58 other people were taken in, raising the number of detainees to 95, which is the maximum capacity of the facility. In late September 2025, 69 people, including 4 women and 2 minors, were taken to the facility after being intercepted at sea in the south of Gavdos.

Generally, the municipalities of Agios Vasileios and Rethymno are in charge of food provision for people detained in Rethymno. The vice-prefect of Rethymno reported that between 80,000 and 90,000 euros were spent on food provision over the summer 2025. In September, the Port Authority Workers’ Union warned in an open letter that the staff in charge of guarding the facility had reached their limits in terms of capacity.