Two dead after water tanker sank fishing vessel

On July 4, 2017, at 7.30 a.m. the "Aegina" was in collision with the fishing vessel "Panagiotis" 2, 5 miles Northwest of Souvala off North-Aegina. The fishing vessel which was hauling up the nets and the crew of which had ignored the horn signals sank immediately. None of the two fishermen aboard, aged 62 and 74, were at the helm, so they did not undertake an attempt to get away. When the water carrier tried to change the course it was already too late, and it broke up the wooden fishing boat. The two brothers aboard, both said to be experienced fishermen, were thrown into the water and could only be recovered dead by the crew of the water tanker. The tanker entered the port of Aegina where the bodies were handed over to an ambulance. Divers of the Greek Coast Guard were deployed to search for the wreck on the bottom of the sea. Staff of the Hellenic Marine Accident and Incident Investigation Service (ELYDNN) dealt with the incident and conducted a thorough investigation of the causes of the accident. The Port Authority of Aegina carried out a preliminary investigation. The master and a crew member of the tanker were arrested and the ship detained. The two were accused of provoking a shipwreck by negligence, manslaughter, maritime traffic disruption and breach of the law on conflict avoidance. The "Aegina" was inspected by Coast Guard experts, while the six crew members were lodged by the Port Authority of Aegina. After having paid safety deposits, all were released except for the captain and one crew.