658
Views

Freighter Sinks Off Greece, Captain Missing

Published Nov 4, 2013 10:37 AM by The Maritime Executive

A rescue operation was underway off the southeastern Aegean Sea island of Karpathos on Sunday to locate the missing captain of a Sierra Leone-flagged freighter which sank a day earlier.

The other five crewmembers of the cargo ship, STELLA - all reportedly Georgian nationals - were rescued by the Greek Coast Guard [pictured above]. 

A distress signal was transmitted about 19 nautical miles west of Karpathos. The Greek maritime authorities responded immediately and started a rescue operation after spotting a lifeboat with the crewmen aboard. The men were taken to a nearby hospital by helicopter for evaluation.

According to Greek authorities, the ship was sailing from Turkey to Cyprus without cargo.