Captain Charged with Negligence in Greek Cruise Ship Sinking

Associated Press is reporting that "the captain of a cruise ship that sank in the Aegean Sea was charged Saturday with negligence, a government official said. A Merchant Marine Ministry spokeswoman confirmed that a prosecutor charged the captain but said she could not confirm a report on state NET TV that five other officers also were charged. She spoke anonymously according to customary government policy. Two French passengers are missing after the Sea Diamond hit rocks and foundered Thursday near Santorini island. The rest of the 1,154 passengers and 391 crew were safely evacuated." (ABC News article) If the sentence is upheld, the captain will face maximum 5 years in prison for negligence.

Currently, there are reports that "the captain, chief mate, second mate, third mate, chief cabin steward, and housekeeper of the Greek-flagged vessel were arrested after the accident, the Merchant Marine Ministry spokeswoman said earlier Saturday. All six are Greek, according to the cruise company, Greece-based Louis Hellenic Cruises. The company had no comment on the charges and did not release the suspects' names." (ABC News article) The only arrest confirmed at this time, however, is the arrest of the captain.

The incident was widely reported on Friday, April 6th, 2007 and a French man and his daughter are still missing. Jean-Christophe Allain, 45, and his 16-year-old daughter, Maud, from Doue-la-Fontaine in western France, were reported missing as the ship sank, and as their cabin filled with water. At this hour, the search for them continues. "Nearly 1,600 people were retrieved from the sinking ship Thursday in a three-hour rescue operation after the vessel foundered on a volcanic reef, but some passengers complained of an insufficient supply of life vests, little guidance from crew members and being forced into a steep climb down rope-ladders to safety." (ABC News article)

The sinking of the ship does not appear to be a result of a lack of maintenance. "The ship underwent its last annual survey on March 9, and had been issued safety management and security certificates by Norway's Det Norske Veritas ship classification society, according to a DNV press release. Thursday's evacuation was the largest Greek rescue operation since the September 2000 Express Samina ferry disaster, which killed 80 people near the holiday island of Paros when it struck rocks in the night and sank." (ABC News article) Currently evidence is still being gathered in the investigation, and it remains to be seen just who, in addition to the captain of the vessel, will be charged with negligence.