FOLLOWING questions raised in parliament concerning the ship which remains stranded on rocks in Paphos, the department of merchant shipping has confirmed that no further progress has been made to remove it.
Nicos Attas, a marine surveyor of the department of merchant shipping told the Cyprus Mail that so far, no agreement has been reached with the ship’s owners or insurers to remove the vessel, which ran aground off Paphos over 14 months ago.
“We [the department of shipping] have done as much as we can within the limits of the law,” said Attas.
The issue was highlighted when deputy George Perdikis raised the question with Efthymios Flourentzos, the minister of communications and works, in parliament.
The Sierra Leone-flagged, EDRO III, has been stranded on the rocks in the sea caves area since December 8, 2011.
According to the minister, in April 2012 a salvage company reached an agreement with the ship’s owners to remove the vessel.
He said: "One of the terms of that contract stated that the company was obliged to secure insurance covering the risks, prior to the commencement of the contract.”
The state set out guidelines concerning the methods to be employed to ensure the safe removal of the vessel from the rocks and its complete removal from the territorial waters of Cyprus.
Flourentzos noted that on May 24, 2012, the salvage company was ready to begin work on moving the ship but said that they had failed to secure cost-effective insurance cover.
“They requested the state take on this responsibility and accept the ship being towed without insurance cover. This was contradictory to what had been agreed with the owner,” said the minister.
“They tried to include the state into a contract which we were not party to and force us to take responsibility which is not ours to take. They said that if we did not agree, despite favourable conditions at sea, they would leave the area and refuse to remove the ship. This is blackmail.”
Attas said the shipping department had now contacted the Attorney-general for advice “offering a number of various options to rectify this situation, which I can’t divulge now,” he said.
“Obviously, we don’t want the ship to remain where it is for a long period of time. Strictly speaking, the vessel still belongs to somebody and not to Cyprus. Therefore we aren’t allowed to go on board or do anything further.”
Attas confirmed that the department of shipping had hoped an attempt to remove the vessel from the rocks when the seas were ‘favourable’ could have been made place in October or November last year. According to Attas, large waves would aid the process.
“We have now realised though, that no movement to solve the problem by either the owner, or the Russian insurers of the ship have been made.”
The Albanian-owned cargo vessel, built in the late 1960s, was leaving Limassol port in early December, bound for Rhodes. It encountered technical problems with the engine during bad weather, and was forced onto rocks off the coast of Paphos, where it has remained stranded ever since.
In April last year, efforts were made to clear and discharge waste and pollutants. All pumpable and oily waste such as lubricants, fuel and solid waste were removed.
According to the marine surveyor the ship is beyond economic repair, although theoretically it could be repaired- but the bill would be more than the ship’s original cost. It is most likely that it will be taken for scrap.
The ship weighs about 2,345 tonnes and is over 80 metres in length.
The EDRO III is stranded 15 metres from shore near the sea caves area, and has become a bit of a tourist attraction.
Despite its beleaguered state, the EDRO III has not been officially declared a wreck. Attas said that this was an important factor for maritime insurance cover.
Stranded since December 2011 (Nektarios Tournavitis)