Bulker Beaches on Greek Island

Strong winds and stormy weather grounded the 27,308 dwt bulk carrier Goodfaith on the northern shore of the Greek island Andros, the Aegean Sea, the Hellenic Coast Guard reports.

The 1994-built bulker ran aground shortly after midnight, February 11, while en route from the port of Eleusis to Ukraine’s port of Odessa, with 22 crew on board.

In a distress call sent to the Coast Guard at around 1:30 a.m. local time, the captain of the Cuprys-flagged vessel reported the ingress of water and asked for evacuation.

The Coast Guard issued a call for all the passing vessels to assist in the rescue, and informed the neighbouring ports of the accident.

Greek Air Force sent out three helicopters to assist the crew, but two had to return due to bad weather. The third helicopter, which took off from Eleusis, reached the vessel and is assisting in the rescue operations. Three tugs set off from Pireaus early in the morning to aid the stricken vessel and the crew.

Andros Port Authority and the Local Fire Department are also on the scene. There have been no reports of the injuries or the oil spills so far.

World Maritime News Staff