A precautionary anti-fouling operation is in full swing north of Andros after the sinking of the Vanuatu-flagged cargo ship Corsage C. The cause of the maritime accident remains unclear so far.
Authorities have put in place a plan to deal with potential marine pollution amid fears of a fuel spill from the sunken ship.
Two special anti-pollution vessels of the Coast Guard – Greek Coast Guard have already gone to the site from the port of Rafina, while two more patrol boats of the Coast Guard are carrying marine anti-pollution response equipment. According to information, within the next few hours the process of developing a floating barrier around the area of the sinking is expected to begin, as well as the placement of absorbent materials, in order to limit any potential environmental pollution.
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The cargo ship had sailed from a port in Albania bound for Ukraine, carrying about 8,000 metric tons of soda ash. According to initial reports, the ship crashed into a rocky area north of Andros, in circumstances that are still being investigated by port authorities.
The impact caused severe damage to the hulls and water ingress, causing the ship to quickly lose watertightness and eventually sink.
There were a total of nine crew members on board, who were successfully rescued and are in good health. According to information so far, they are eight Turkish nationals and one Azerbaijani national.
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