Video: Tugs Attempt to Free Greek Ferry from the Rocks

The effort to refloat the grounded passenger vessel Blue Sky Patmos continues near the island of Ios, Greece. Three salvage tugs from Spanopoulos Group have pulled her stern about fifty yards off the rocks, but her bow remains stuck. 

Over the weekend, salvors pumped her bunkers off in order to reduce her weight and to limit the risk of a spill. No pollution has been reported.

Attica SA Holdings, the Patmos' owner, said in a regulatory filing that the grounding is not expected to have a significant impact on the firm’s earnings. The Blue Star Naxos has taken over the Patmos' route, and overall network coverage is not strained because the low-demand season is beginning. The Patmos is fully insured, with P&I and hull & machinery coverage from internationally recognized insurance companies. 

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Patmos was arriving at the Greek island of Ios on a voyage from Piraeus, with 205 passengers and 87 crew on board. Local reports suggest that after she made her turn towards the harbor entrance, she struck a shoal at a speed of about 15 knots.

The impact penetrated her hull in way of her starboard ballast tanks and she took on a limited quantity of water, but her owner says the flooding was contained and does not threaten her stability. The cause of the accident has not yet been determined, and the Patmos’ VDR is expected to give more insight into the events leading up to the grounding.