Chief of Hellenic Coast Guard Faces Charges for Migrant Boat Sinking

 

Four senior officers of the Hellenic Coast Guard have been charged in connection with the 2023 Pylos shipwreck, which killed at least 82 and as many as 650 people. Survivors allege that the actions of coast guard first responders contributed to the casualty, and that the service has attempted to conceal any wrongdoing in the hours before the sinking. 

On June 10, 2023, the trawler Adriana got under way from Libya, bound for Italy with about 400-750 maritime migrants on board. It was overloaded with passengers on deck and below in the holds. En route to  Italy, it crossed into the Greek search and rescue zone on June 13. In response to its clearly precarious situation, the Hellenic Coast Guard dispatched a patrol vessel to the scene.

The exact events of the next 15 hours are disputed, but all acknowledge that on June 14, the overloaded fishing vessel capsized and sank with about 750 personnel aboard. In the aftermath, 82 bodies were recovered, and roughly 500 people were missing and presumed dead. 

104 passengers were rescued and brought to shore. Survivors alleged that the Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat on scene, the LS-920, had attempted to initiate a tow with the Adriana. On the third attempt to rig a tow line, these survivors suggested, the fishing vessel capsized. Some survivors claimed that they were immediately instructed by Hellenic Coast Guard officers not to talk about any alleged "towing attempt" after they were rescued.

The Hellenic Coast Guard vigorously denies that any towing attempt or other wrongdoing occurred, and it turned down calls for an internal investigation. But the Greek government's ombudsman concluded that the crew of LS-920 may have violated the law, and prosecutors at the Piraeus Naval Court reached the same conclusion earlier this year.

In May 2025, the court's deputy prosecutor brought charges of "causing a shipwreck" against Hellenic Coast Guard servicemembers in connection with the sinking. At the time, top officials on shore were not charged, as the prosecutor concluded that they did not have legal authority at the key moments of the operation - though they were present and involved. 

This week, following a petition by legal counsel for the victims, a court of appeal has ordered the prosecutor's office to expand the list of personnel charged in connection with the sinking to include four additional senior Hellenic Coast Guard officials. The list includes the newly-appointed head of the service, Tryfonas Kontizas, according to Greek outlet News24/7. 

The charges against the four top officials include failure to rescue helpless persons, resulting in death; manslaughter by serial omission in international waters; and an additional charge related to the inaction of subordinates. Under the Greek criminal justice system, the charges mean that the suspects will now appear before the court to answer the allegations.