The Sea Diamond Sinking Mystery

Developments in the Greek Shipping World May Be Foul Play

The Greek ship MS Sea Diamond which ran aground of a volcanic undersea reef last week in Santorini, Greece, has experienced new resolution. The Captain and five officers of sunken Greek cruise ship were arrested by Greek maritime authorities and charged with negligence. Nearly 1,600 persons were evacuated when the cruise ship sank off an Aegean island last week. Two French passengers, a father and daughter, are still not accounted for. But is there a rush to judgement under worldwide media scrutiny?

The Greek cruise market is aflame with development. Louis Cruise Lines is a big name in the Greek shipping world and is considered at times akin to a blue chip stock. Other cruise lines like Star, Royal Caribbean, and Star can't dock their huge ships in the tiny ports of call of the smaller Greek islands. Neither , it seems, Can Louis Cruises, on occasion even in home waters. This cruise crash on the rocks may open the door to other ships (without glaring accidents )getting a slice of this cruise market. The sinking of the Sea Diamond prompts many questions.

The Sea Diamond, the cruise ship of the Louis lines that sunk in the Aegean, was formerly the Birka Princess. Louis Lines has a grip on the short cruise market in Greek waters. How does a 3-day and 4-day cruise ship run aground? Testimony concedes that pilot error and navigational failure were at work. But why should experienced officers suddenly forget basic seamanship? The mystery of why the former Birka "booze cruise" for Swedes to get cheap alcohol foundered in well traversed waters is a puzzler.

Sea Diamond sank in fairly well traveled waters. Tourists gathered on land to watch the rescue effort and see the modern cruise ship go under the water. This incident is still under investigation by Greek authorities. Officers could get up to 5 years, perhaps more depending upon the fate of the lost pair of French travelers. Louis Lines purchased the ship for about US $30 million. The cruise ship was renamed the Sea Diamond by Louis Lines. But the Birka Princess/Sea Diamond vessel may have a troubled history. Researching the history of the sunken cruise ship brings many facts to light.