Sea Diamond

**Sea Diamond**
	The Sea Diamond under her old name Birka Princess 2005 in Stockholm
Ship data
flag	Greece
other ship names	Birka Princess (1986-2006)
Ship type	Passenger ship
Callsign	SVMC
home port	Piraeus
Owner	Elona Maritime Company
Shipping company	Louis Cruise Lines
Shipyard	Valmet , Helsinki
Build number	321
takeover	April 1986
Whereabouts	sunk on April 6, 2007 off Santorini
Ship dimensions and crew
length	142.95 m ( Lüa )
width	25.15 m
Draft	Max. 6.15 m
measurement	22,412 GT
crew	391
Machine system
machine	diesel-mechanical ; 4 × diesel engine ( Wärtsilä 12V32)
Top ; speed	22.0 kn (41 km / h)
propeller	2 × controllable pitch propellers
Transport capacities
Permitted number of passengers	1,537
Others
Registration ; numbers	IMO no. 8406731

The Sea Diamond was originally a ferry that was converted into a cruise ship and sailed under the Greek flag. She ran beginning of April 2007 near the port Athinios of Cyclades -Insel Thira (Santorini) in the Aegean Sea aground and sank.

history

The ship was delivered as a ferry to Birka Line as Birka Princess in 1986 by the Finnish shipyard Valmet Oy . Since it was primarily used in the area of ferry cruises in the Baltic Sea , it was awarded the second highest Finnish ice class A1 when it was built . In 1999 she was converted from a ferry to a pure passenger ship by the Lloyd shipyard in Bremerhaven and in 2006 sold to the Maltese "Elona Maritime Company". The ship was managed by the Core Marine in Piraeus , which operated the ship for Louis Cruise Lines . The ship was used by Louis Cruise Lines for multi-day cruises in the Aegean Sea.

Average

Heeling wreck

Location of the wreck

Oil barriers over the wreck (2015)

On April 5, 2007 at around 4 p.m., the Sea Diamond collided with an underwater reef while maneuvering in the caldera of Santorini in good weather and calm seas . There are conflicting reports about the exact location, either east of the central island of Nea Kameni or 200 m west of the main town of Thíra. The incoming water caused the ship to heel more than 10 degrees, but stabilized after the bulkheads were closed.

The damaged vessel was shut dragged from the reef towards the east, which is in some places considered a mistake, because after about 2.5 nautical miles trolling in southwestern direction from the accident the ship had there perhaps through targeted beaching between Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni there on the largely constant depth of 20 meters can be saved.

On the morning of April 6, 2007, the ship sank off the main town of Thíra. The captain named strong currents, which would have pushed the ship onto the reef, as the reason for the accident.

The shipping company initially stated that all 1,167 passengers and 391 crew members could be rescued and brought to Santorini. However, two French passengers, a 45-year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter, went missing. Diving into the ship and to the passengers' cabin did not reveal any information about the whereabouts of the missing persons. The wife and 4-year-old son were saved.

The wreck of the Sea Diamond lies at a depth of 60 m (bow) to 150 m (stern) on an undersea slope.

consequences

The captain was investigated for negligence. He and three other crew members were arrested. A report published on April 10, 2007 by the Greek Ministry of Merchant Shipping suggests, among other things, human error. In early November 2007 it became known that a faulty nautical chart could have been part of the reasons for the accident. Experts had found that, contrary to what is shown on the nautical chart, the reef not only extended to 57 meters, but also to 131 meters off the coast of the island. The depth information on the nautical chart was also apparently incorrect.

After four months of criminal proceedings, at the end of July / beginning of August 2013 eight people responsible were sentenced to prison terms by a court in Piraeus in the first instance, and all of them appealed. As the main responsible the captain to twelve years imprisonment, the others, including a representative of the ship owner for two to eight years. Four other defendants, including three crew members, were acquitted. Five defendants were acquitted on appeal, and the tourist director and first officer were given suspended sentences of three years and 26 months, respectively. The captain's prison sentence was reduced from twelve years to five years and under Greek law he had the option to buy himself out of prison for five euros per day, so that the prison term was replaced by a payment of € 9.125.

The surveying authority updated their nautical charts, but rejected all blame for the accident, as it was found that the ship's electronic plummet was switched off at the time of the accident.

On June 24, 2008, the EU Commission declared the wreck to be garbage at the urging of Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas . This means that the Greek government and the shipping company can be sued under European environmental law if they allow long-term pollution with toxic waste . In June 2009 the oil was pumped out of the wreck, but the wreck has not yet been recovered. In 2017, the Minister for the Merchant Navy declared that the ship should be salvaged, but there is no schedule (as of June 2019).