Shocking images were recorded last night at the port of Gavrio in Andros, and by pure luck, we escaped the worst. The ship SAONISOS suddenly untied its lines and set sail, at the moment when a car was trapped on the ramp. This morning, the captain was arrested by coast guard officers as soon as he docked in Karystos.
Passengers captured shock images last night at the port in Andros, as presented by STAR. The ship is docking while strong winds blow in the area. 10 passengers and 4 vehicles are preparing for boarding. Suddenly, the car is left in the air after being hit by the ramp. A woman who watched in shock everything that happened describes the events to Giannis Sotiropoulos.
Andros: Ship’s captain set sail while a car and passengers were on the ramp
Andros: “The car was caught by the ship’s door and lifted”
“We realized that a car was trying to enter; we were screaming for it not to enter, until the door caught it and lifted it, we saw that it was shaking. The girl has an automatic car. The brain read that the car was hit and got stuck at the first spot and did nothing, neither forward nor backward,” says a passenger on the ship.
Suddenly, the ship departed without any notification. By pure luck, the car did not fall into the sea.
“They are trying to unblock it; you see in the video they are trying to unblock it, not because they were afraid for the girl, but because they obviously wanted to leave; they had already been delayed 1 hour from us, and another hour from there, so they had a total of 2 hours delay,” adds the eyewitness.
A second passenger claims that the ship was tied with one line.
Andros: “The ship docked with one line”
“The ship docked with one line, not with two, as all ships usually dock, resulting in the wind causing it to drift in the sea, and the ship’s door not being stabilized at the dock. The whole car didn’t enter; it was half on and at that moment, with the winds it had, because the ship was tied with one line, the wind pulled the ship, resulting in the car being dragged along with it. It moved the car along with the ship’s door.”
The ship’s captain was arrested in Karystos on charges of dangerous interference with ship traffic. When he appears before the judicial authorities, he will have to answer the question of why he ordered the ship to depart when there was a possibility that lives were at risk.
The Minister of Shipping ordered an investigation
The Minister of Shipping, Christos Stylianidis, also gave an order for an immediate investigation of the incident, emphasizing that no compromise on safety concerns will be accepted. The two girls who were on the ship are in shock over what they experienced last night at the port of Andros.
Andros: Announcement from the shipowner
“We inform the traveling public that following the prosecutor’s order for the arrest of the Captain of the E.G.-P.G. SAONISOS and his mandatory dismissal, the ship cannot continue its scheduled routes.”
“Passengers with tickets are requested to contact the issuing agencies and/or local central agencies for their refund.”
Latest reports indicate that the captain was arrested and released, while the routes of the mentioned ship have been suspended.
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