Sinking of Oceanos : Survivor’s Accounts

February 12, 2022

Sinking of Oceanos : Survivor’s Accounts

Auto, Aviation & Transportation

“It was August 3, 1991 when Rosemary Roe saw the dishes slipping on the table during dinner. ′′ The lights went out and the ship got an unusual inclination, but none of the crew advised us, he says in telephone communication from Ireland. ′′Only entertainment staff, singers and waiters helped us later. Most crew members left first with lifeboats “.

Michael O ‘ Mahoney, a passenger remembers at least 30 crew members got on the first boat, while the captain left on a helicopter while passengers were still on deck. ′′I never saw the captain among us helping, he says.”

MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991.

None of the 571 passengers drowned. The international and some Greek media condemned the attitude of Captain Yiannis Avranas. And he did not lighten his position after the accident when he told a foreign television station: ′′ The ship’s abandonment applies to everyone. No matter what time I leave”. On August 7, a news report emerged with the title: ′′Battle for the critical hours “.

On the front page was a Kostas Mitropoulos cartoon that lampooned the Captain, it read: ′′Where to take you captain?…the helicopter pilot asked him as he rescued him from the sinking ship named ′′Ocean of failures”.

Christos Nikolaou did not know what was said about him and his colleagues at the time. We meet him in Piraeus, where he lives after his retirement. The crew called him a ′′secretary”. He speaks five foreign languages, originally from Kasos, but was born in Egypt. He was 46 years old.

′′We were preparing to eat when the first mechanic warned us. He said the export to the electric generators had been opened by a surge and water was pouring in. Within eight minutes I closed the waterproof doors. In between, however, the first engineer was terrified. He says he lowered the switches, stopped the power generators and the ship’s engines. The reaction of the first engineer sabotaged the captain’s original plan. He had set sail for a sandy area at four miles, which he had found on the map. He would attempt to sit there. Without a driving force, however, he had to find another solution.”

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′′The captain broadcast SOS. Meanwhile the extraction was completely broken, the engine room was filling water and tilting forward the ship. As soon as we reached seven degrees, we decided to lower the boats and start evacuation. At sea he had no kindness. The cruise ship had sailed with seven beauforts. Two more were added to these later. The waves reached 14 meters. Many scenarios have been done, my brother. They accused the crew and the captain, but if there weren’t good moves with so much inconvenience and so much wave who would be saved? Do you think anyone was weighing in the boats.”

THE ′′DRAPETS”

“Among the crew, however, some tried to save themselves first. The first engineer along with some of the engine room got on a boat and left. And the second boat was only cooks. While we were busy on one hand throwing the boats they went the other way and left,” says Nikolaou.

“There were also 12 inflatable rescue media on the cruise ship. Before the sailing they were given for inspection. In the time of need, however, the crew found that everything was useless. They had returned them as they had sent them.”

Nikolaou got on the last boat.

′′Two babies, one 22 days old and the other one year old I put them down with a bucket (bucket) on the boat, he says. But over 100 people left on board, crew and passengers. At six in the morning the helicopters appeared. The captain went up to the third of these. ′′ He wanted to see where they were taking the crew to land. Then he returned and oversaw the operation from the air. He had also left the radio operator on board, and they were talking. Passengers thought the captain had left the ship. He didn’t give up though. He made the wrong choice. And on the boat what could he do in addition.”

Similar was the explanation Captain Avranas gave a few days after the wreck:

′′The circumstances were tragic and my responsibility was more than great. Nobody cared until that time if those who left on the boats were alive. I wanted to go down to the deck, where they were left lying on the floor, covered with blankets, passengers and crew members who sang to get courage. Something strong wind, something the helicopter pilot, they didn’t let me down he said. The ′′ ocean ′′ had reached the point where the sea was 81 meters deep. After evacuating, the 105 meter long ship began to sink. He hit the bottom, got back up, side of the fault and was swallowed by the sea forever.”

“What happened to the crew and captain? After rescuing passengers and crew followed by interrogations in Durban, South Africa. Authorities isolated officers and sailors at a hotel. Captain Davina Avrana’s English wife aboard the ship with their daughter Faye. Three years later she wrote in her book entitled, The Tragedy of the Oceanos:

′′ I wished there was a trial then to make the truth appear. It was embarrassing to me that my husband’s name was never cleared publicly. Instead of a medal, he received shame “. It was not a trial. Neither in South Africa nor later in Greece.”

“Christos Nikolaou, an Oceanist, had a relative who was an executive at the Panhellenic Federation. He in consultation with the international federation fled Nikolaou to Greece. After five days of staying at the hotel, the other Greek sailors with the assistance of the Greek consular authorities also escaped. ′′ They were taken from the hotel to the airport five minutes before the plane left, otherwise we would still be there judging us “, says Nikolaou.

In Greece the case was referred to the High Council of Maritime Accidents of the Ministry of Maritime. As provided for by Greek Maritime Law pursuant to Article 223: ′′ Captain of non-departures last during the abandonment of a dangerous ship, punishable by imprisonment and penalty of money “. The Oceanos crew was referred to disciplinary inspection for withdrawal of diploma or grade, but they were all acquitted.”