Wreck «MS Express Samina»

MS Express Samina (Greek: Εξπρές Σαμίνα) was a French-built RoPax ferry with a total tonnage of 1099 DWT and a length of 115m. The ship was built as MS Corse in 1966 in St Nazaire, France for Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. In 1999 she was sold to Minoan Flying Dolphins, for service in the Aegean, and was renamed Express Samina.

On the evening of Tuesday 26 September, 2000, the ship sank due to crew negligence, after she collided with a rock off the coast of Paros island. The accident resulted in 81 deaths and several members were found criminally liable.

MS Express Samina left the Port of Piraeus earlier that day with 473 passengers and 61 crew members. At 22:12 local time 2 nmi off the port of Paros, the ship hit the reef of Portes islets at 18 knots. The wind at the time was 8 on the Beaufort scale.

The water from the three-meter gash destroyed the main generators and cut off electrical power. The water spread beyond the engine room, and the operators could not remotely shut the doors due to a lack of electrical power.
The first responders to the distress call were fishing boats from the nearby port, followed by the port authorities and Royal Navy vessels, which were in the area carrying out a NATO exercise. The fact that some of the crew did not help the passengers evacuate the sinking ferry contributed to the death toll.

The ship lies in one piece in a depth of 38m with a 20m visibility. In August 2020 Greek Shipping Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis and Paros Mayor Markos Kovaios discussed plans to raise the wreck of the Express Samina off the seabed, following reports of fresh leaks from a crack in the wreck.
Wreck MS Express Samina – Paros Island – Greece