Another Greek Ferry Runs Into Trouble

A Greek ferry with 1,081 passengers aboard ran aground as it was about to dock in an Aegean island port early on Friday but there were no injuries, the merchant marine ministry said.

The incident in Naxos port occurred less than three days after another ferry with the same owner hit rocks and sank off a nearby island, Paros, killing at least 65 people - Greece's worst maritime tragedy since the mid-1960s.

A merchant marine spokesman said the Express Artemis, a vehicle and passenger ferry, got stuck in Naxos harbor early Friday morning during a run between Piraeus and various islands in the Cycladic chain, including Paros.

"After about three hours, the ferry managed to dislodge itself by its own means and docked safely in the port. Everyone aboard was safe and passengers with destinations (other than Naxos) boarded other ferries," the spokesman said.

"The Naxos port authority has prohibited the Express Artemis from sailing onward pending a review of the incident."