What Crew Members Say About Athlos

On May 12, 2021, at noon, the cargo vessel 'Athlos' experienced a grounding incident within the confines of the Volos port. Prompt response was provided by a Greek Coast Guard patrol boat along with the tugboat 'Christos VII', which worked in unison to refloat the stranded ship. Fortunately, the operation was successful, and 'Athlos' was subsequently secured at the Volos pier. Remarkably, no injuries were reported, nor was there any marine pollution or water ingress. Following the incident, the Port Authority of Volos initiated a preliminary investigation and detained the vessel until it could present a valid certificate of seaworthiness.

The freighter 'Reggae' was deserted by its owner at the Sfax anchorage in Tunisia on February 14, 2020. The vessel was manned by a crew of eight individuals, comprising four Indian, three Turkish, and one Georgian national. The crew voiced their distress, stating that their wages had been left unpaid and that they were facing severe shortages of drinking water, food supplies, and fuel. Moreover, the ship's master required urgent medical attention due to illness. Despite notifications from the International Transport Federation, the flag state has yet to respond. Efforts by the Tunisian Port State Control (PSC) to reach the vessel's owner through email and phone have been met with silence, as the owners refuse to take any responsibility for the ship. All crew members expressed their desire for immediate repatriation but insisted on being compensated for their unpaid wages before leaving. The outstanding wages, totaling approximately $33,000, have been pending for two to four months. The 'Reggae' eventually departed from Sfax on March 11, 2020, with a destination of Izmir, expected to arrive on March 14.

On October 3, 2019, the cargo vessel 'Reggae' was detained in the port of Chioggia, marking its third detention in the Paris MoU region over a span of just three years. In accordance with Section 4 of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Article 16 of the EU Council Directive 2009/16/EC, the 'Reggae' will face a ban from entering any port and anchorage within the Paris MoU region, with the exception of ports associated with its flag state. This access refusal will be enforced immediately following the ship's departure from Chioggia. Given that this is the first order for refusal of access for the 'Reggae', the duration of this entry ban will extend for three months, as outlined in Section 4.4 of the Paris MoU and Article 21.6 of the aforementioned EU directive. After its detention, the vessel departed from Chioggia on October 17, eventually anchoring off Tuzla on October 28 at 5:10 AM.