NEW FINDINGS have vindicated Louis Cruise Line’s claim that a faulty undersea map caused cruise liner Sea Diamond to hit a reef and sink off Santorini last year, the company said yesterday.
In November last year, Louis said specialist company, Akti Engineering, provided a mapping of the area of the accident showing serious errors in the charts of the area.
The Louis-commissioned map was rubbished by the Greek authorities but a new survey was then carried out by the Hydrographic Office of the Hellenic Navy, which is the official government authority for conducting hydrographic surveys and issuing nautical charts in Greek waters.
“The new hydrographic survey of the area and its findings fully confirm those of Akti Engineering,” Louis said in a press statement.
It said the results of the soundings performed by the Hydrographic Office confirmed that the reef struck by the Sea Diamond was actually located 131 metres from the coastline, instead of only 57 metres “as was inaccurately marked on the official Hellenic Hydrographic Service nautical chart No. 423/8 with which all ships were equipped with.”
This caused the ship’s captain to miscalculate the real position of the reef.
Louis said the erroneous chart depicted the depth at the point of impact as 18 to 22 metres when the surveys have now shown that in reality it was between 3.5 and 5 metres.
“The official findings confirm the ship owner’s position,” the statement said. It said the company’s support of the vessel’s Master, his qualifications and experience had now been confirmed by the result of the official findings.
The 22,412-tonne Sea Diamond sank in April 2007, a day after hitting a reef just metres off the island’s coast as it tried to dock. More than 1,500 people were evacuated but a French man and his daughter went missing and have been presumed dead.
The company and the captain were fined a maximum €1.17 million by Greece’s Merchant Marine Ministry for causing environmental pollution around the island. The fine was appealed.
A Greek prosecutor charged the captain and five other crew with negligence leading to the sinking. The trial had not yet started pending the final outcome of investigations that included a new mapping of the area.
“We are very pleased with the development,” said a Louis spokesman yesterday. “In essence the Master has been vindicated. He, and the company got a lot of criticism at the time but it’s now been confirmed without a doubt. The map was completely wrong and the route taken by the Master was safe, according to the map he had.”
