Two captains of separate ferry boat operators, SeaJets and of FastFerries, respectively, were arrested on Monday for violating maritime transport laws, according to OT.gr, a development that comes amid the height of tourist season in Greece.
Specifically, the captain of SeaJets’ ‘Champion Jet 3’ was detained for departing from the main port of Santorini five minutes earlier than scheduled.
This is a violation of Greece’s maritime law, as ferries are supposed to strictly adhere to predetermined schedules. As a result, seven passengers were left behind and the captain did not return despite orders by the Thira (Santorini) Port Authority to return for the passengers.
In a separate incident, the FastFerries’ ‘Fast Ferries Andros’ ship caused high waves to batter bathers on a popular beach on Mykonos island, resulting in damage to property and injuries to two people.
Both ship captains were arrested by the harbor corps once their vessels sailed into the port of Piraeus.
The news comes on the heels of last week’s report that tourists were being forced to wade from the ramp of a ferry to access a popular beach on the large island of Crete. A floating dock was later restored at the site to allow visitors to embark and disembark on a ferry boat.
The videos of the situation on the beach, called Balos, circled the globe and made headlines in international media.
Below is a video showing the waves pounding the beach on Mykonos.
