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 likewise raised considerations about its long-term environmental influence. A good portion of the over 500 metric tons of diesel and oil initially on board stays inside 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, continues to be on the backside of the Santorini caldera, following years of inactivity and infighting between the vessel’s homeowners, insurance coverage corporations, the European Union, and the Greek authorities.
The wreckage, to today loaded with heavy gas oils, lubricants, and different hazardous supplies, poses a big danger to the marine ecosystem and the well being of the island’s inhabitants. The scenario has been worsened by seen traces of oil that floor throughout robust winds, resulting in doubts over the present containment measures.
An try has been made to include the continuing oil launch by deploying a floating growth. Nonetheless, this technique has confirmed to be ineffective, notably because the growth’s measurement has diminished over time.
In line with The Greek Reporter, a spokesperson for the initiative supporting the elimination of the wreck, Loucas Lignos, stated the next: “The shipwreck is positioned 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 turbines, wires which might be full of copper, PCB and plastic that can slowly be diluted into the water over time. If that occurs it will likely be an enormous environmental catastrophe for the Santorini seashores.”
The MS Sea Diamond was a cruise ship owned by Louis Hellenic Cruise Strains, which was later renamed Celestyal Cruises. The vessel ran aground and finally sank off the coast of Santorini, Greece.
This occasion led to intensive authorized motion and environmental considerations. Out of the 1,195 passengers and 391 crew on board, two passengers had been reported lacking and had been later presumed useless.
Authorized Battles Trigger Irreparable Harm
Regardless of a 2014 courtroom 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 gradual however regular fee, it erodes each day and at any time it will possibly trigger an incalculable ecological catastrophe,”
The problem of economic accountability 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 criticism to the European Union in 2012 didn’t result in a decision.
Instantly following the sinking, considerations 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 rules, MS Sea Diamond itself stays an environmental ticking timebomb.
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The area people’s considerations aren’t unfounded. The MS Sea Diamond‘s location on a steep slope in an space susceptible 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 injury.
