Pantelis Sfinias, 62, jumped from his sixth-floor office in the port of Piraeus, apparently unable to live with the knowledge that the business he created, Minoan Flying Dolphins, was blamed for one of Greece's worst sea disasters. The frigate was on station during the First Gulf War and was part of the Devonport Flotilla based at Devonport Dockyard. A preliminary inquiry indicated that Vassilis Yannakis, the captain, was not on his bridge, Greek media reported. const updateSubscriberCookie = function (purchase) { vars.article.wallVisible = ! } else if (Object.keys(p.badge || {}).indexOf('print_annual') > -1) { } In an attempt to shore up the credibility of the passenger fleet, the government suspended the operating licences of more than 60 Greek ferries pending safety upgrades. } meteredAccess: purchase.metered_paywall, Four navy commandos and 17 army conscripts were returning for duty on the island of Naxos on board the Express Samina when it ran aground. A total. vars.user.gigyaID = gigyaID || ''; Three crew members were sentenced to between 15months and 8years 9months for a series of misdemeanours that included abandoning ship without the captain's permission. Irish Examiner Ltd, Linn Dubh, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork. Yannakis had told the court he was in his cabin at the time. He and three other crew members, including Vasilis Yiannakis, the captain, will be charged in court tomorrow. No one was hurt.Divers were searching the wreck of the Express Samina yesterday for more bodies, 115ft below the surface. The company's reputation suffered further damage yesterday when a sister ferry carrying more than 1,000 passengers ran aground on the neighbouring island of Naxos. A crew member discovered the problem and tried to steer the ship to port, but this action occurred too late and at 22:12 local time (19:12UTC), the ship struck the east face of the taller Portes pinnacle. With Jonathan Aris, Sarah Manninen, Michle Tredger, Danielle Bourgon. const cookieExpiryInSeconds = 60 * 60 * 24 * 30; Some passengers alleged that crew members were watching a football match on TV at the time of the crash. In a barely audible whisper he confessed he was not on the bridge. Even with autopilot on, standard practice calls for one crew member to watch the controls, for example to avoid collisions with other vessels. It alleged that profit had been allowed to come before safety. The rocks tore a six-meter-long and one-meter-wide hole above the water line. The charges laid against the captain were "causing a shipwreck through negligence". [2] In 1988, she was sold to the Agapitos Bros for service in the Aegean sea under Agapitos Lines, without a name change. At 22:12 local time, 2 nmi off the port of Parikia, at Paros island, the ship hit the reef of Portes islets at 18 knots. [8] This conclusion was supported by an in-depth study of the Ship Design Laboratory National Technical University of Athens, a summary of which was presented at the 8th International Conference on the Stability of Ships and Ocean Vehicles, (Papanikolaou, A., Spanos, D., Boulougouris, E., Eliopoulou, E., Alissafaki, A., "Investigation Into The Sinking Of The RO-RO Passenger Ferry Express Samina"). userID: purchase.granted_by_purchase.user_id, "We all did what we could . The Express Samina slammed into two reefs near the island of Paros in September 2000 with 532 onboard. }; if (isGrantedBy('corporate_account')) { vars.user.subscriptionFinishDate = subscriberCookie.subscriptionFinishDate || ''; The trial commenced late July 2005. By 22:25, the list had increased to fourteen degrees and water began to enter the ship through the six-metre gash. vars.article.wallVisible = ! The first responders to the distress call were fishing boats from the nearby port, followed by the port authorities and Royal Navy vessels, which were in the area carrying out a NATO exercise. Five other defendants, including two ferry company officials, received lighter sentences. Passengers aboard the triple-decker ferry, the Express Samina, included Greek commuters and late-season tourists from at least eight countries. subscriptionStartDate: purchase.granted_by_app_purchase.original_start_at, Alternate Title: Zero Visibility (UK) if (vars.article) { Investigations showed that the ship ran into rough water, and that it was designed only to travel in coastal waters, limits it had went well beyond. Investigators have complained that the captain, who was in command of another ferry which sank 11 years ago, has given them contradictory accounts of what he was doing when the 4,500tonne Express Samina sank. const getBundleValue = function (purchase, purchaseType) { Even with autopilot on, standard practice calls for one crew member to watch the controls, for example to avoid collisions with other vessels. Four Americans were among those rescued, but it was unknown if any Americans died. He said a young helmsman had been to blame for putting the ship on a collision course and by the time he had wrestled the wheel they were barely 200 yards from the jagged rocks. He said that he was the last to abandon ship.His employers said he would not sail for them until after his trial, which was not expected to begin for at least 18 months.The 87 tourists who survived were yesterday offered a cash payment by the Greek Government to meet their immediate needs.On Paros, bereaved families vowed to bombard Minoan Flying Dolphins, the ferry\u0026#039;s owners, with legal actions in an attempt to bankrupt what was one of Greece\u0026#039;s most prestigious shipping lines. Mr Sfinias had been due to testify. Some passengers managed to clutch life vests before hitting the water, while others clung to floating debris or the rocky shore throughout a terrifying night. . [9], At 22:15 EEST (19:15UTC), three minutes after impact, the ship was listing by five degrees to starboard. Other bodies were found floating in a remote cove on Paros. } He and three other crew members, including Vasilis Yiannakis, the captain, will be charged in court tomorrow. On 29 November 2000, Pandelis Sfinias ( ) the manager of the company Minoan Flying Dolphins, committed suicide by jumping from his sixth-floor office window. [8], As a result of the sinking, ferries were retired after 30years instead of 35, under Greece's new laws precipitated by the disaster. Psychoyios had been watching a football match on television when the ship hit the rocks, according to witnesses. The disaster in September 2000 shook public confidence in Greeces coastal ferry shipping safety and prompted a safety crackdown. const subscriberCookieName = 'subscriber'; Tlverser des mdias Wikipdia. The semi-official Athens news agency reported that Mr Sfinias was discussing the Samina tragedy with the head of another ferry company when he suddenly opened the window and jumped. Some of the seamen rejected the charges, saying they had stayed behind to help passengers and pointing out that at least three of their own were identified among the dead. 'We knew we had the Phantom in front of us': Paul Mescal's 2012 stage appearance, A history of Irish women in 50 objects, from a Sheela na Gig to fake tan, Magdalene laundries survivor recalls a childhood of relentless abuse and neglect, State accused of stonewalling and hiding evidence over Magdalene laundries, A Magdalene laundry and its clients: Holles Street, Fitzwilliam Tennis Club, Captain Americas, Refugees told they are to be moved as hotels prepare for holiday season. subscriptionFinishDate: '', On Paros, bereaved families vowed to bombard Minoan Flying Dolphins, the ferry's owners, with legal actions in an attempt to bankrupt what was one of Greece's most prestigious shipping lines. The islet was clearly marked with a light beacon; no attentive seaman would have missed it. Friends said yesterday that since the disaster he had been racked by remorse and guilt. In 1969, she was transferred to Compagnie Gnrale Transmditerranenne. MS Express Samina was a French-built RoPax ferry that struck the charted Portes Islets rocks in the Bay of Parikia off the coast of Paros island in the central Aegean Sea on 26 September 2000. The Express Samina's captain, Vassilis Yannakis (left), has been charged with multiple murder They must improve their standards within 20 days, or have their sailing permits revoked. One after another, we fell into the sea.. return { let flipPayConfig = { Around 12 people are officially still missing but the number may increase as tickets could be bought on board and were not issued to small children. British navy helicopters rescued 12 people and took them aboard the aircraft carrier Invincible for treatment of hypothermia, shock, bruises and cuts. MS Express Samina ( Greek: ) was a French-built RoPax ferry that struck the charted Portes Islets rocks in the Bay of Parikia off the coast of Paros island in the central Aegean Sea on 26 September 2000. Three crew members were sentenced to between 15 months and eight years and nine months for a series of misdemeanours that included abandoning ship without the captains permission. "I was holding a small boy in my arms and he kept asking me not to let go of him. The Express Samina smashed into a clearly marked patch of rocks the night of Sept. 26 in gale-force conditions. const subscriberCookie = JSON.parse(getCookie(subscriberCookieName) || '{}'); Your service title Give us a brief description of the service that you are promoting. There were fears the death toll could rise as rescue crews are unsure of the exact number of people aboard the ferry, which sank in rough seas just two miles off the coast after crashing into rocky islets marked with a light beacon. Additionally, this hastened the adoption of voyage recorders, the equivalent of black boxes for ships; all passenger ferries are now required by law to contain voyage recorders.[8]. The ship sank close to the islets at 23:02, resulting in the deaths of 80 people from a total of 533 on board. let cookieValue = parts.join('='); Failure to transmit the position of the shipwreck, resulting in the difficulty of search and rescue operations under the responsibility of the master and the ships radio operator. The cause of the accident was crew negligence, for which several members were found criminally liable. The master of the Express Samina, Vassilis Yiannakis, and three of his crew have appeared in a court on the island of Syros on charges including murder.Yiannaki. The crew had placed the ship on autopilot and there were no crew members watching the ship. } else if (Object.keys(p.badge || {}).indexOf('premium-plus') > -1) { Police said they believed Sfinias's death was a suicide. Samina Ahmed set to make her Hollywood debut The 'Waris' actor might be seen alongside Nimra Bucha and Bollywood star, Farhan Akhtar in 'Ms Marvel' Entertainment Desk April 10, 2021 Samina Ahmed, who recently appeared in Suno Chanda, is shooting for a Hollywood project in Thailand according to her husband, Manzar Sehbai. There was no note, but media reports hinted at a possible call made before he jumped. In his official statement, the ship\u0026#039;s deputy said he had been the last man to hold the wheel and that he had fought to steer the ferry away from the rocky islet.He said a young helmsman had been to blame for putting the ship on a collision course and by the time he had wrestled the wheel they were barely 200 yards from the jagged rocks. Winds also kept fishing boats and other vessels from joining the rescue effort, which helped tourists and 365 Greek passengers to safety. show_spinner: false, const onMutation = function (mutations) { There was no note, but media reports hinted at a possible call made before he jumped. In addition to the main cause of the sinking (open watertight doors),[9] the degree of damage, the scenario, and the open vehicle deck space in roro ferry design were contributing factors. His employers said he would not sail for them until after his trial, which was not expected to begin for at least 18 months. The waves push the Express Samina off course, it hits a group of rocks and begins taking on water, eventually sinking. Several crew members, as well as representatives for the owners, were subsequently charged with different criminal charges, including manslaughter and negligence. After the crash, the engine room officers did not promptly notify the captain of the fault, failing to close three out of the 11 watertight doors, resulting in the rapid inflow of water inside the vessel . A judicial investigation has yet to come to any conclusion on the reasons for the disaster, although human error was initially cited as the chief cause.

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