Greek ferry captain charged following grounding in Aegean Sea
Prosecutors in Greece have charged the captain of a passenger vessel with causing a maritime accident and endangering navigation in connection with a grounding incident that occurred in the Aegean Sea off Evia Island earlier this week.
The charges were filed against the 62-year-old captain of the Ro-Pax ferry Panagia Paravouniotissa after authorities learned from some of the vessel's 105 passengers that the crew had not issued any instructions on what they needed to do following the grounding in the Gulf of Euboea on Tuesday, August 5.
One individual told local media that the passengers took out the vessel's lifejackets themselves amid the confusion and the lack of communication from the crew.
The Hellenic Coast Guard and the crews of Good Samaritan boats subsequently evacuated all of the passengers and brought them to shore. No injuries have been reported.
The captain, who has been placed under arrest, said that the incident was caused by the ferry's rudders becoming stuck. However, a marine surveyor inspected the rudders and found no damage, contrary to what the captain claimed.
The captain is also being investigated for allegedly violating protocol by failing to inform authorities about the grounding immediately after it occurred.
In a statement, the Hellenic Coast Guard said repeated attempts had been made to contact the captain via radio following the grounding, but the latter did not respond until more than ten minutes had already elapsed.
The effort to tow the ferry to shore meanwhile needed to be postponed after divers discovered a 20-metre-long crack on the hull just below the waterline. According to Greek state news agency ERT, the crack could exacerbate the difficulty of towing the vessel.
Although all 105 passengers have been evacuated, the ferry still has its cargo of 30 vehicles. This has prompted authorities to deploy a tug to manoeuvre alongside the ferry and help it remain afloat.
