Ship runs aground in bad weather

A LARGE commercial ship was forced onto the rocks in Paphos during a bout of severe weather early this morning.

No-one was hurt in the incident, and the crew of seven was lifted to safety by a police helicopter.

The Captain and First Engineer remained on board but according to a Peyia police spokesman, this poses no danger.

“If it were dangerous, the captain and his engineer would vacate the ship.”

According to police, the ship, which was en route from Limassol to Rhodes, was caught up in strong winds and crashed onto the rocks at around 4 to 5am.

The incident took place in the Sea Caves area of Paphos between Coral Bay and St. George’s Island, with the ship running aground approximately 15m from the shore.

Crew members of the Greek-owned ship are thought to be from Egypt and Albania and the area has been closed to the public by police.

The Peyia spokesman said, “we are currently making a number of examinations of the area and of the situation and are waiting for documents from the ship’s owner. I am unable to verify any other information about the ship at the present time.”

Meanwhile, a Paphos police spokesman said that investigations relating to the ship’s insurance are also underway.

He said: “statements have been taken from crew members who say that the craft was forced onto the rocks in strong winds.”

He added: “the captain and the first engineer remained on board, otherwise the vessel would become controlled by the government of Cyprus.”

It is not yet clear how the ship will be removed from the rocks.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.