300+ sailors stranded in Greece

A Greek cruise ship which developed technical problems has been docked in Rhodes for more than two weeks, with over 300 sailors stranded on board.

The majority of the 340 sailors are from Pakistan, Romania and the Philippines and have been on board the vessel since September 18th.

The ship docked at the Rhodes harbor on September 18th and developed a 10-degree list shortly thereafter.

The Rhodes port authority inspected the ship and remarked that internal waste tanks had overflowed, causing the ship to tip.

Thanassis Marasiotis, a press officer for the city said that divers also discovered a crudely plugged waste discharge hatchway in the ship’s hull.

“The ship is over 30 years old, it does not have pumps for waste removal and apparently just dumps it overboard,” he said.

“The tanks held 3,000 tonnes of waste that took a week to remove. Imagine what would have happened if this ship had sunk in the harbour,” he added.

Meanwhile, the ship’s occupants have requested food and water from town hall.

“We intend to provide them with supplies for as long as it takes, but they are unpaid and nobody from the company has turned up to assume responsibility,” said Marasiotis who also remarked that the ship’s captain is being held by Greek authorities.

The ship’s operators are being charged with wilfully polluting the environment, however the operators have yet to be identified by the city. The ship will stay in Rhodes for repairs for approximately a week.