Dignity sank due to negligence

I am writing in response to the article published in the Cyprus Mail last week regarding the sinking of the Dignity.

If true, the comments made by her captain show an arrogance and detachment from the facts which are beyond belief.

For several days before the sinking, the weather and particularly the sea conditions in Cyprus were atrocious and unusually bad for the time of year. The Dignity was moored at Larnaca Marina and left unattended during this period, being exposed to danger and also causing possible danger to other vessels. At best this was reckless and at worst illegal for a vessel of her size.  She should have had at least one responsible crew member on board.

Larnaca Marina made several unsuccessful attempts to persuade the owners to attend the vessel and eventually, due to severe damage caused by the bad weather, a decision was made to attempt towing her to the relative safety of Larnaca Port.

The skipper of the tow boat is one of the most experienced and competent captains on the East Coast and the remarks made in the article were made by someone who I certainly would not entrust my life with in the sea.

So, put the record straight and at the very least give a humble apology and offer thanks for the efforts to save Dignity.

All too often when a tragedy occurs, it seems normal to look for a scapegoat or apportion blame.  The Dignity was in imminent danger of sinking due to neglect and unfortunately the best efforts of a few people were to no avail.

Mike Johnson,
Larnaca

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.