Cruising Talk - View Single Post - Louis Lines 'Aquamarine' holed and heading to port for urgent inspection

**Ally** · 05-08-2008, 12:49 PM

Quote:

A Greek cruise ship carrying more than 1,200 passengers and crew was ordered to make an emergency stop on the Aegean island of Milos after discovering a large crack in its hull, Greece's Merchant Marine Ministry said.

The crack, which is above sea level, was discovered after the ship left the island of Crete for a cruise of the Aegean with 872 Greek and foreign passengers and about 400 crew, it said.

"The Greek-flagged ship had left the Cretan port of Herakleion at 11 (0800 GMT) when shortly afterwards the crew heard a loud noise and discovered a 1 metre-by 30 centimetre hole on the side of the vessel, about 2.5 metres above the water level," a ministry official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters on Thursday.

He said all aboard were in good health.

"The weather is pretty good and the ship is only half an hour away from the island of Milos where passengers will be taken off and inspectors will look at the damage."

This is the second incident involving a Greek cruise ship since the start of the year. Another vessel ran aground in March.

Last year, a cruise ship sank off the island of Santorini after hitting a reef near the port. Two French people went missing and are presumed dead.

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