Greek Coast Guard News

One person has died and 12 people were missing on Sunday after a cargo ship carrying salt with 14 crew on board sank off the island of Lesbos, the Greek coast guard said.The Comoros-flagged Raptor had departed from El Dekheila port in Egypt and was bound for Istanbul when it reported a mechanical failure and issued a distress call early on Sunday, the coast guard added."One body recovered from the area," a coast guard official told Reuters adding that one person was rescued by helicopter and was taken to the island's hospital.Eight of the crew were Egyptians and the rest were Syrian and Indian

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch on Thursday called for a "credible" probe into a migrant shipwreck off Greece in June in which hundreds died, saying that contrasting accounts by the Greek coastguard and survivors "were extremely concerning".The overcrowded fishing trawler said to be carrying between 400-750 people from Pakistan, Syria and Egypt sank in international waters off Greece on its way to Italy from Libya. Some 104 men survived and authorities recovered only…

Since Matloob Hussain from Pakistan went missing during a deadly shipwreck off Greece last month, his brother Adil has left the door of his Athens home open in the hope he appears. It will stay open until his body is found.Matloob, 43, is among hundreds of migrants from Pakistan, Syria and Egypt who are presumed dead after their overcrowded fishing trawler, that set sail from Libya for Italy, sank off the coast of Pylos in international waters on June 14.A total of 104 men were rescued and 82 bodies were found.

Rescuers scoured seas off Greece on Thursday in a massive search operation, as hopes dwindled of finding survivors of a shipwreck that killed at least 78 migrants in one of Europe's deadliest such disasters in recent years.Reports suggested hundreds of people had packed the fishing boat that capsized and sank early on Wednesday in deep waters about 50 miles (80 km) from the southern coastal town of Pylos, while being shadowed by the Greek coast guard. As dawn broke on Thursday, a coast guard vessel sailed into the nearby port city of Kalamata, transferring victims.

Greece rescued nine migrants and was searching for dozens of others believed to be missing after their boat sank off the island of Evia early on Tuesday, the coast guard said. Nine people have been rescued from the boat, which sank off the southern tip of Evia, Greek coast guard spokesman Nikos Kokkalas told state broadcaster ERT. According to the migrants accounts, about 68 people were on the boat, Kokkalas said. A coast guard vessel, a helicopter and two boats sailing nearby are taking part in the rescue operation under gale-force winds, the coast guard said in a statement.

An Iranian-flagged tanker seized by Greece in April, part of whose cargo was confiscated by the United States, was being towed to the port of Piraeus on Saturday, Greek coast guard officials said, after Greek authorities approved its release.For over two months the Iranian-flagged Lana has been anchored off the Greek island of Evia in a diplomatic impasse which strained Athens' relations with Tehran amid growing tensions between Iran and the United States."It left Karystos at 06:30 am (0330 GMT) and is expected to reach Piraeus around 10:00 pm…

A Russian tanker impounded by Greece this week and reportedly carrying Iranian oil will be released amid confusion about sanctions on its owners."The coast guard has been ordered by the anti-money laundering authority to release the vessel," a Greek government official said, without providing further details.On Tuesday, Greek authorities impounded the 115,500-deadweight tonnage Russian-flagged Pegas, with 19 Russian crew members on board, on the southern coast of the island of Evia.They said the ship was impounded as part of EU sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.Earlier this month, the EU banned Russian-flagged vessels from its ports…

A Turkish-flagged cargo ship carrying 382 mostly Afghan migrants docked safely at a Greek island's port early on Sunday, two days after losing power in the Aegean Sea and sending out a distress signal.Six people among what was the country's biggest single influx of migrants in years were detained after the vessel, the Murat 729, was towed into Kos port by a Greek coast guard ship, the migration ministry said.The other arrivals were taken to a reception centre on the island. Their stay at the center…

Greece mounted a rescue operation on Friday for a cargo ship carrying about 400 migrants after it sent out a distress signal off the island of Crete, the coast guard said.The Greek coast guard quoted passengers as saying the Turkish-flagged vessel had sailed from Turkey, calling it “one of the largest search and rescue operations carried out in the eastern Mediterranean.”Authorities said the ship was being taken to land but gave no further details. The nationalities of the passengers…

A Togo-flagged cargo ship sank on Saturday after hitting Greek islets in the Aegean Sea but all 16 crew were rescued, the Greek coast guard said.The freighter Sea Bird, which sailed from Ukraine and was bound for Tunisia, sent a distress signal after sailing into rocky islets in the southwestern Aegean Sea, the coast guard said in a statement.Nearby vessels rescued all 16 Syrian crew, a coast guard official said.It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.Three anti-pollution vessels have rushed to the scene to check whether there was any leaking from the freighter, the coast guard added.(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has been declared the winning bidder in a tender covering three offshore high-speed ambulance boats that will support emergency services in the Aegean Sea.The international tender was concluded after a cooperation between the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Greek Emergency Response Organization (E.K.A.B), in an initiative supported and financed by the European Union under the INTERREG V-A Cooperation Program 2014-2020.All three ambulance boats are scheduled for delivery during the summer of 2020…

Wildfires raging in Greece have killed dozens, left scores more injured and have driven some off cliffs or into the sea in one of the country’s worst disasters in recent years.Several fires near the country’s capital Athens, one of the world’s top shipping hubs, have killed at least 74 people and left 187 injured, officials said Tuesday. Its feared the death toll could rise further as the number missing is unknown.Athens and the port city to its west, Pireaus, are home to more than 600 shipowers.Although the fires subsided greatly by Tuesday afternoon…

Greece sent an official complaint to Turkey on Tuesday, its foreign ministry said, after a Turkish vessel collided with a Greek coast guard boat off disputed islets in the Aegean Sea. The Greek coastguard said in a statement that the incident took place at Imia, known as Kardak in Turkish, at about midnight on Monday. A Turkish patrol vessel "made some risky manoeuvres" striking the left side of the Greek coast guard vessel patrolling the area, and damaging it. There were no injuries, the coastguard said. Turkey and Greece, NATO allies, have been at odds over a host of issues from ethnically split Cyprus to sovereignty over airspace and overflights. They came to the brink of war in 1996 in a sovereignty dispute over the islets, but tensions have eased since.

The captain of a Turkish freighter said on Monday that the Greek coast guard had fired on his vessel after he refused an order to dock at a port on the Greek island of Rhodes. Turkey said the action was "disproportionate" and showed no regard for human life. "There is no justification ... for firing on an unarmed commercial ship carrying freight between two Turkish ports," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Sami Kalkavan, captain of the M/V ACT, told the broadcaster CNN Turk that the Greek coast guard had ordered him to dock in Rhodes, which is some 15 miles (24 km) from the Turkish coast, for inspection. He said that when he had failed to comply, the coast guard had opened fire, putting 16 bullet holes in his ship.

A boat carrying about 200 migrants which had sent out a distress signal off Crete on Monday was spotted safe and sailing to Italy, the Greek coast guard said. Greece had ordered a Greek-flagged tanker and a Panama-flagged freighter earlier on Monday to search for the 25-metre long fishing vessel after it sent out a mayday signal about 80 nautical miles south of Crete and 15 nautical miles within Libyan waters. Greece has not rescued the migrants because the boat was not in Greek territory and the passengers were safe, a coastguard official who declined to be named told Reuters. It was not immediately known where the boat had set sail from. Crete, Greece's southernmost island, lies north of Libya and Egypt.

Three passenger boats return migrants from Lesbos, Chios; desperate migrants continue to cross despite deal. The first migrants deported from Greek islands under a disputed EU-Turkey deal were shipped back to Turkey on Monday in a drive to shut down the main route by which a million people fleeing war and poverty crossed the Aegean Sea in the last year. Under the pact criticised by refugee agencies and human rights campaigners, Ankara will take back all migrants and refugees who enter Greece illegally, including Syrians. In return, the European Union will take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and reward it with more money, early visa-free travel and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

Topaz Energy and Marine has emerged as an unlikely player in the effort to save refugee migrants risking their lives on the sea crossing from Turkey to Greece’s islands in order to reach Europe. While Topaz’s new emergency response and rescue vessel, the Topaz Responder, was primarily designed to provide safety support for offshore oil and gas producers, it is presently operating as a search and rescue vessel in the Aegean Sea. Contracted by not-for-profit organization Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), the Responder is playing a crucial role scouring the often treacherous waters of the relatively short (10 – 14 nautical miles) crossing, acting as MOAS’ ‘mothership’ in its Aegean Sea Mission.

Greek coast guard searching for 38 migrants off Lesbos. Four children, two men and one woman drowned and 38 migrants were missing after their wooden boat sank north of the Greek island of Lesbos, the coast guard said on Thursday, as an extensive search operation continued for a second day. The coast guard rescued 242 people off Lesbos on Wednesday in what was thought to be the largest maritime disaster off Greece in terms of numbers involved since a massive refugee influx began this year. The search went on overnight. Four coast guard vessels were deployed on Thursday, assisted by fishing boats. Three helicopters were hovering above the sea.

Four people, a woman and three children, drowned and one child was missing after their rubber boat capsized off a Greek island late on Friday, the Greek coast guard said. The coast guard said it has rescued 13 people and was searching for the missing child after the boat capsized off the Aegean island of Kalymnos. Thousands of refugees - mostly fleeing war-torn Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq - attempt daily to cross the Aegean Sea from nearby Turkey, a short but perilous trip by inflatable boats, often in rough seas. Almost 400,000 people have arrived in Greece this year, according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, overwhelming the cash-strapped nation's ability to cope.

A baby, two children and a woman drowned on Thursday after their wooden boat and a coast guard vessel crashed during a migrant rescue operation off the island of Lesbos, the Greek coast guard said. The boat, which the coast guard said was old, sank after the crash and 31 persons were rescued. The coast guard did not provide further details on the incident or the nationality of the victims. Thousands of refugees - mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq - attempt on a daily basis to cross the Aegean Sea from nearby Turkey, a short but perilous trip by boat, often in rough seas due to poor weather. Almost 400,000 people have arrived in Greece this year, according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, overwhelming the crisis-stricken government's ability to cope.

Greek authorities have seized a freighter carrying an undeclared shipment of weapons en route from Turkey to Libya, coast guard officials said on Wednesday. A coast guard patrol boat raided the vessel on Tuesday, 20 nautical miles northeast of Crete. The freighter, with a crew of seven and which had sailed from the Turkish port of Iskenderun, was escorted to Heraklion port on the island. The United Nations has imposed an embargo on weapons shipments to Libya, which is plagued by factional conflict. "The ship's crew is being questioned and the content of its containers will be checked," a coast guard official said, declining to be named. The coast guard provided no further details of what kind of arms the freighter had on board, or its ownership.

According to local news, a female passenger is currently missing from MSC Cruises‘ MSC Magnifica. The Magnifica was sailing to Izmir, Turkey when the woman disappeared overboard. The passenger, identified as Chinese, is believed to have fallen overboard on Wednesday morning as the 2,500 passenger ship was en-route to Izmir after sailing from Katakolon. By the time the passenger was known missing the 92,400 gross ton vessel had sailed for some time in the Aegean Sea. The Greek Coast Guard was notified at some point. The Coast guard have launched a rescue operation in the sea region between the Aegean islands of Kea and Kythnos and the north coasts of the island of Chios. A Super Puma helicopter and three coast guard vessels participate in the operation.

Migrants desperate to get off the Greek island of Kos fought each other on Saturday while nearby a passenger ship chartered to house and process refugees lay empty 24 hours after it had arrived. Outside the island's main police station, about 50 migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran threw stones and exchanged blows as tempers boiled over in the intense mid-summer heat. Riot police stood by without intervening. The migrants have little chance of getting aboard the ship, the Eleftherios Venizelos, as priority is being given to Syrians, who are treated as refugees as they are fleeing their country's civil war and have greater rights under international law than economic migrants.