Salvage of Sunken Greek Cruise Ship Too Dangerous

The Sea Diamond, which sunk on April 6 off the Greek island of Santorini, is still on the ocean floor posing an environmental threat. Santorini officials want the wreck raised and/or the trapped oil pumped out of it to minimize the environmental hazard. However, Louis Cruise Lines claims its environmental advisors believe any salvage and/or pumping efforts may cause severe ecological damage to the area.

The Sea Diamond ran aground on a volcanic reef east of Nea Kameni, within the caldera of the Greek island Santorini, on April 5. Afterwards, the vessel began taking on water and listed up to 12 degree starboard. Though she was later towed from the rocks and her list was stabilized, the Sea Diamond still sunk on April 6, just a few hundred meters from the shore.

On June 19, Greece’s Merchant Marine Ministry fined Louis Cruise Lines and the captain of the Sea Diamond 1.17 million euros (USD 1.57 million) for causing ecological pollution around Santorini. The Santorini Port Authority is also fining the shipowner 8,804 euros (USD 11,833.67) for every day the oil is not pumped out of the sunken vessel. Nevertheless, Louis Cruise Lines believes that the vessel, which has about 200 tons of crude oil still trapped inside, only poses a “minimal” threat, but that any salvage attempts would cause major environmental devastation.

However, since the Sea Diamond is currently balanced on a narrow ledge, environmentalists worry that even a slight earth tremor could dislodge the ship and spill oil for tens of kilometers. This possibility worries officials because Santorini is a top tourist destination and they do not want a large oil spill to decrease visitors to the island. Thus, last week the Santorini Port Authority stated that it would hire a salvage company to raise the sunken vessel if Louis Cruise Lines did not meet its demands.