MS Sea Diamond

Overview

*1986–2006: Birka Princess *2006–2007: Sea Diamond

owner	1986–2006: Birka Line 2006–2007: Louis Public Co
operator	1986–2006: Birka Line 2006–2007: Louis Hellenic Cruise Lines
registry	1986–2006: Mariehamn, Finland 2006: Valletta, Malta *2006–2007: Piraeus, Greece
ordered	16 April 1984
builder	Valmet, Vuosaari shipyard, Helsinki, Finland
original cost	350 million Finnish markka
yard number	321
laid down	1984
launched	October 20, 1985
in service	April 1986
out of service	April 5, 2007
fate	Ran aground and sank in 2007
identification	Call sign: SVMC *MMSI: 256162000

MS Sea Diamond was a cruise ship operated by Louis Hellenic Cruise Lines. She was built in 1984 by Valmet, Finland for Birka Line as Birka Princess. The ship ran aground near the Greek island of Santorini 5 April 2007, and sank the next day leaving two passengers missing and presumed dead.

History

Originally named Birka Princess, the ship was built by the Finnish state-owned company Valmet at their Vuosaari shipyard in Helsinki[1] at a cost of 350 million Finnish markka[2] (€58,9 million). She was delivered in 1986 and operated for Birka Line in the Baltic Sea cruiseferry market

Sinking

On 5 April 2007, at around 16:00 EEST (13:00 UTC)[11] the ship ran aground on a well-marked volcanic reef east of Nea Kameni,[12][13] within the caldera of the Greek island of Santorini, began taking on water, and listed up to 12 degrees to starboard before her watertight doors were reportedly closed (a report which was later refuted when the wreck was examined).[14] The 1,153 passengers, mostly Americans and 60 Canadians, were initially all reported to be safely evacuated in three-and-a-half hours, with four injuries.[15] Some passengers, including a group of 77 students from Paisley Magnet School in North Carolina,[16] were evacuated from the car ramp through the former car deck onto boats, but some passengers had to climb down rope ladders from the higher decks. The ship was towed off the rocks, and her list stabilized.[13][17] Later, it was reported that two French passengers were missing.[18] The large amount of water taken on board led to the ship sinking shortly before 7:00 EEST on 6 April 2007, only a few hundred metres from the shore.[19][20] Video footage shows that, toward the end, the ship completely capsized before settling stern first onto the sea floor.[21] It was later reported that the tip of the bulbous bow was only 62 metres (203 feet) below sea level, but the stern was in water up to 180 metres (590 feet) deep. It is feared that the wreck would soon slide deeper and sink into the submerged caldera of the volcanic island.[22] It has been speculated that the deep, almost vertical shore of the bathtub-like caldera made it impossible to beach the ship and save her from becoming a total loss.

Missing

Two French citizens, Jean Christophe Allain, aged 45, and his daughter Maud, 16, were listed as missing. Allain's wife said her cabin filled with water when the ship struck rocks and that she narrowly escaped. She was not sure whether her husband and daughter made it out, because the events happened so suddenly. Her son was on deck at the time and was evacuated safely.[23] The family were accommodated in cabin 2014, an outside standard cabin on the starboard side of the vessel on deck 2, the lowest passenger deck.[7]

Divers examined the wreck on 6 April to gather information on the ship's current position and to seek the missing passengers, but the search of the cabin recovered nothing. Divers continued searching on 10 April, but nothing was reported. Later in the same day, local governors apologized to the French family for their missing relatives.[24][25] The black box containing the recordings of the conversations before the crash was discovered on 15 April, while the bodies of the two missing persons were never found.[22]

Investigations

On 7 April, Greek authorities announced that they were charging the captain and five other officers with negligence. State television reported they were charged with causing a shipwreck through negligence, breaching international shipping safety regulations and polluting the environment. Additional charges could be made depending on the fate of the two missing passengers. All six were released until further notice but if convicted they could face a five-year prison sentence.[26] On 13 April 2007, it was reported that investigators using a remotely controlled submarine found the ship's data recorder (VDR). In a struggle to protect the data, they secured it in a special sterilized bin and the authorities were to have transferred it to the United States in order to reveal the saved data, an action that only the manufacturer of the VDR can perform. The Greek Merchant Marine Ministry said the recorder could reveal details of the sinking of the ship which could be used in the prosecution of crew members.[22]

DNV, one of the world's leading classification agencies, stated in their press release that "At the time of the accident, DNV had issued class certificate, safety management certificate and ship security certificate. Sea Diamond had no overdue surveys and no condition of class". For the Sea Diamond to have been issued a Class certificate, her water-tight doors would have to have been fully operational.[27]

Investigations carried out by the defense team of the Master of the Vessel and Louis Cruise Lines, after a lawsuit had been filed against them, have included a new hydrographic survey of the area of the accident in Santorini. This survey was carried out by Akti Engineering, and discovered discrepancies between the actual mapping of the sea area and the official charts used by the Sea Diamond (and all other vessels) at the time of the accident. The detailed survey claimed that the reef, which the Sea Diamond struck is, in fact, lying at 131 m from shore and not at a distance of 57 m, as is incorrectly marked on the nautical chart. The official chart also shows the depth of the water at the area of impact varying from 18 –, whilst the recent survey shows that it is only 5 m.[28]

The findings obtained by Akti Engineering have since been passed on to the Hellenic Hydrographic Office of the Hellenic Navy and other responsible authorities, with the aim that the necessary changes to maritime charts should be made and similar accidents to be prevented.[28] According to a branch reviewing source, the Hellenic Hydrographic Office initially rejected the new mapping,[29] but a later study confirmed the findings of Akti.[30]

A Greek scuba diver gathering evidence for a judicial investigation of the Sea Diamond shipwreck died in October 2007 from decompression sickness after ascending too quickly.[31]

MS Sea Diamond

History

Sinking

Missing

Images from Birka Princess

See also

External links

Amateur video and photos

References

Investigations

Aftermath

Raising