Seventeen years have handed for the reason that MS Sea Diamond, owned by Louis Hellenic Cruises, sank off the coast of Santorini, leaving the reminiscence of a devastating accident and an ongoing environmental disaster. The ship sank after operating aground on a reef and now lies as a silent however lethal risk within the well-known Greek island’s caldera.
The incident led to the tragic lack of two lives and the rescue of 1,195 passengers and in addition raised issues about its long-term environmental influence. A good portion of the over 500 metric tons of diesel and oil initially on board stays throughout the deteriorating gas tanks of the sunken deserted vessel.
Wreckage Loaded With Oils, Lubricants, And Hazardous Supplies
MS Sea Diamond, a vessel that sank on April 5, 2007, remains to be on the backside of the Santorini caldera, following years of inactivity and infighting between the vessel’s house owners, insurance coverage firms, the European Union, and the Greek authorities.
The wreckage, to this present day loaded with heavy gas oils, lubricants, and different hazardous supplies, poses a big threat to the marine ecosystem and the well being of the island’s inhabitants. The state of affairs has been worsened by seen traces of oil that floor throughout sturdy winds, resulting in doubts over the present containment measures.
An try has been made to comprise the continued oil launch by deploying a floating growth. Nonetheless, this technique has confirmed to be ineffective, notably because the growth’s dimension has diminished over time.
In line with The Greek Reporter, a spokesperson for the initiative supporting the elimination of the wreck, Loucas Lignos, mentioned the next: “The shipwreck is situated precisely within the caldera of Santorini, round 800m from the port. It’s sunk about 100m underwater.”
“It has 300 tonnes of gas oils and different poisonous chemical compounds, machine oils, within the mills, wires which can be full of copper, PCB and plastic that can slowly be diluted into the water over time. If that occurs it is going to be an enormous environmental catastrophe for the Santorini seashores.”
The MS Sea Diamond was a cruise ship owned by Louis Hellenic Cruise Traces, which was later renamed Celestyal Cruises. The vessel ran aground and finally sank off the coast of Santorini, Greece.
This occasion led to in depth authorized motion and environmental issues. Out of the 1,195 passengers and 391 crew on board, two passengers had been reported lacking and had been later presumed lifeless.
Authorized Battles Trigger Irreparable Harm
Regardless of a 2014 court docket ruling holding the ship’s proprietor accountable for the wreck’s elimination and related prices, authorized proceedings have seen a number of delays and appeals, leaving the MS Sea Diamond slowly rotting away and changing into ever extra harmful.
Loucas Lignos: “The shipwreck stays on the seabed and continues to pollute, at a sluggish however regular fee, it erodes each day and at any time it could possibly trigger an incalculable ecological catastrophe,”
The problem of economic duty for the salvage operation stays a contentious level, with neither the ship’s proprietor, the insurance coverage firm, nor authorities our bodies keen to bear the fee. Even a grievance to the European Union in 2012 didn’t result in a decision.
Instantly following the sinking, issues had been raised in regards to the environmental influence on the encompassing marine ecosystem. Whereas the incident led to quite a few new provisions for maritime security, environmental safety, and the necessity for strict adherence to navigational laws, MS Sea Diamond itself stays an environmental ticking timebomb.
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The local people’s issues should not unfounded. The MS Sea Diamond‘s location on a steep slope in an space vulnerable to seismic exercise poses a big risk.
There’s an actual hazard that the wreck may slide additional into the crater, resulting in the discharge of crude oil and different dangerous chemical compounds into the ocean. Ought to this happen, the price of eradicating the wreck would skyrocket, to not point out the environmental harm.
