The ferry boat “Panagia Paravouniotissa” remains stranded off Styra, in the Euboean Gulf, having run aground in a dry sea near the rocky islet of Glaros while on its way to Agia Marina.

There were 105 passengers and a crew of nine on board. The strike caused a small inflow of water and a slight tilting of the vessel, but no injuries were reported. The Coast Guard, private boats and a passenger ship were immediately mobilized for the safe transport of the passengers back to Nea Styra.

Around the time of the incident, there were 5 Beaufort winds in the area, which may have made it difficult for the ship to maneuver and contributed to the grounding.

Port authorities are investigating the cause of the incident and are looking into the circumstances under which the vessel struck the quay, as well as the actions of the crew during the crisis. It is noted that the reef is visible to the naked eye even from a distance and is known to those who travel the route.

At the same time, the complaints of several passengers that, during the incident, there was no information from the crew or the captain, a fact that is already being examined by the competent authorities in the framework of an investigation by the Ministry of Shipping.

“We were taken out of the ship with a common ladder, made of iron. Tragic things. From the loudspeakers they said nothing, not a word. A lady came from the bar where she worked and told us to get the women and children down to the car park. Not even the captain came out to say a word, say anything. Nobody. We were picked up by volunteers in boats and taken ashore. No information,” said one of the passengers when they reached land.

As the passengers who spoke to Mega TV station complained, “we were not given any instructions, no one informed us, we found the life jackets under the seats on our own” while referring to the circumstances of the crash: “We saw a maneuver of the captain and we say “what is he doing”. Immediately we heard the banging on the rocks. When it was time to evacuate, the captain said over the loudspeakers ‘get down below and get in the boats.”

All passengers were transported by private and Coast Guard boats safely to Nea Styra, however, due to the lack of accommodation in the area, authorities organised the transfer of 47 passengers by coach to Marmari and Karystos, where they stayed overnight at the ferry company’s expense. Four passengers chose to spend the night in the saloon of the ship “Apostolis”, which has a scheduled morning service, while others chose alternative ways of returning by boat or taxi. The president of the community of N. Styra N. Drakogiannis participated in the whole coordination operation.

The Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy issued an announcement on the incident and as it says, “is investigating all the circumstances of the accident, as the captain did not inform, as he should have, the competent authorities about the grounding of the vessel ‘Panagia Paravouniotissa’.”

It is also noted that no injuries were caused by the incident and no marine pollution was observed, while the competent prosecutor’s office has been informed by the Karystos Port Authority, which is conducting the preliminary investigation.