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Source: Lloyds List
Nigel Lowry, Athens
AN INVESTIGATION carried out under the aegis of Greece’s Ministry of Merchant Marine has concluded negligence by senior officers and shipping firm employees was to blame for the sinking of the cruise liner Sea Diamond off the island of Santorini more than two years ago.
The ministry’s investigations board for maritime accidents found fault with the vessel’s master Ioannis Marinos and chief engineer Emmanuel Patsos, as well as three officers of the shipowning company.
The conclusions, leaked to a Greek newspaper, appear at odds with a judicially commissioned report into the accident and were immediately condemned as “totally unfounded” by the operators, Louis Hellenic Cruises.
“This was largely expected. We were warned in advance what approach they would take,” a Louis spokesman told Lloyd’s list. “The conclusions are totally unfounded and without evidence.”
According to the board, the 21-year-old cruiseship drew too close to the shore as it approached the island’s port “with grave and obvious risks to its safety”.
The vessel subsequently gashed itself on a reef and later sank in deep water after being evacuated of passengers and crew. Two missing French passengers were never found.
The board’s conclusions, which appear to give weight to non-operation or partial operation of the ship’s depth gauge and black box, also acknowledge that official charts of the area were in error, which was identified as the chief cause of the accident by a report prepared by court-appointed experts.
“This is yet another inelegant attempt by the relevant authorities to refute their responsibilities in relation to the erroneous mapping of the area of the accident, which constitutes the sole cause of the accident and the subsequent sinking of the vessel,” said Louis spokesman Michael Maratheftis.
The company has denied any responsibility for the accident but has funded clean-up measures.
Louis pointed out soon after the accident that the depth gauge was switched off but would not have prevented the incident as it measures depths directly under the ship.
Meanwhile, the company said, the ship’s black box was working properly two hours after the casualty, in line with international rules. An onboard black-out, though, halted the data from certain instruments.
No final decision has been announced by prosecutors but Louis appears braced for a trial.
The owners and managers “have absolutely no doubt that the truth will shine in court, which is exactly what happened in similar cases of accidents caused by erroneous mappings in Europe and the US,” said Mr Maratheftis.
“There is a distinction between the reports as one was independent and appointed by the court and the other was prepared for the state,” he said.
Nigel Lowry, Athens
AN INVESTIGATION carried out under the aegis of Greece’s Ministry of Merchant Marine has concluded negligence by senior officers and shipping firm employees was to blame for the sinking of the cruise liner Sea Diamond off the island of Santorini more than two years ago.
The ministry’s investigations board for maritime accidents found fault with the vessel’s master Ioannis Marinos and chief engineer Emmanuel Patsos, as well as three officers of the shipowning company.
The conclusions, leaked to a Greek newspaper, appear at odds with a judicially commissioned report into the accident and were immediately condemned as “totally unfounded” by the operators, Louis Hellenic Cruises.
“This was largely expected. We were warned in advance what approach they would take,” a Louis spokesman told Lloyd’s list. “The conclusions are totally unfounded and without evidence.”
According to the board, the 21-year-old cruiseship drew too close to the shore as it approached the island’s port “with grave and obvious risks to its safety”.
The vessel subsequently gashed itself on a reef and later sank in deep water after being evacuated of passengers and crew. Two missing French passengers were never found.
The board’s conclusions, which appear to give weight to non-operation or partial operation of the ship’s depth gauge and black box, also acknowledge that official charts of the area were in error, which was identified as the chief cause of the accident by a report prepared by court-appointed experts.
“This is yet another inelegant attempt by the relevant authorities to refute their responsibilities in relation to the erroneous mapping of the area of the accident, which constitutes the sole cause of the accident and the subsequent sinking of the vessel,” said Louis spokesman Michael Maratheftis.
The company has denied any responsibility for the accident but has funded clean-up measures.
Louis pointed out soon after the accident that the depth gauge was switched off but would not have prevented the incident as it measures depths directly under the ship.
Meanwhile, the company said, the ship’s black box was working properly two hours after the casualty, in line with international rules. An onboard black-out, though, halted the data from certain instruments.
No final decision has been announced by prosecutors but Louis appears braced for a trial.
The owners and managers “have absolutely no doubt that the truth will shine in court, which is exactly what happened in similar cases of accidents caused by erroneous mappings in Europe and the US,” said Mr Maratheftis.
“There is a distinction between the reports as one was independent and appointed by the court and the other was prepared for the state,” he said.
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