Santorini shipwreck: Popular Greek island under threat from sunken MS Sea Diamond

A sunken shipwreck could be releasing toxic waste near this Greek paradise.

A beloved vacation spot in Greece is on the brink of catastrophe, with an old shipwreck starting to pollute the ocean after being left to rot for nearly two decades. Locals fear the sunken cruise ship MS Sea Diamond could be leaching toxic waste, putting their famous island at risk.

The Greek island of Santorini is under threat amid serious warnings that the decrepit cruise ship could be releasing toxic waste into the surrounding sea.

The MS Sea Diamond ran aground in 2007 and has since sunk to the sea floor and been left to rot, The Sun reports.

For years, the Greek residents have been hopelessly pushing for the wreck to be removed, concerned over the potentially catastrophic effect the 22,000-ton ship’s fuel tanks might have on the environment.

Locals demanded the sunken ship be removed immediately in a letter sent to the Greek Parliament’s Special Standing Committee for Environmental Protection this week.

“The shipwreck remains on the seabed and continues to pollute, at a slow but steady rate, it erodes daily and at any time it can cause an incalculable ecological disaster,” the letter read.

The MV Sea Diamond was a cruise ship owned by Louis Hellenic Cruises of Cyprus. On 5 April 2007 crashed into a reef just off the Greek volcanic island of Santorini. The ship began listing and ...(1/3)#Sea #Diamond #shipwreck #Greece #Santorini #Cyprus #history #maritime pic.twitter.com/OoQqJJWmn2

— ⚓Shipwrecks & Sea Dogs Podcast (@ShipwrecksPod) April 5, 2023

However, Greek authorities have failed to recover the shipwreck, causing a debate over who is responsible for its removal.

Santorini locals spoke to The Sun regarding the shipwreck, predicting that the island is “heading for disaster” on account of the major dispute over its removal.

People are concerned that the toxic waste released from the sunken wreckage could potentially poison Santorini’s coastlines and make swimming in the waters dangerous.

The toxic chemicals inside the shipwreck include large amounts of motor fuel and lubricants, hundreds of litres of battery electrolytes, copper cables, toxic heavy metals and other dangerous substances.

Campaigners claim that the government “has failed the community” as the environmental crisis looms ahead.

Experts have estimated that it could take a minimum of 400 years for this waste to break down and decompose, and have called the sunken shipwreck a “ticking time bomb” in fears it could cause an environmental disaster.

Head of campaign group The Coordinating Committee of Thira Citizens for the Lifting of the Sea Diamond, Loucas Lignos shared information on how the wreckage could be a catastrophe for the island of Santorini.

“The shipwreck is located exactly in the caldera of Santorini, around 800 metres from the port. It is sunk about 100 metres underwater”, he shared with The Sun.

“It has 300 tonnes of fuel oils and other toxic chemicals, machine oils, in the generators, wires that are filled with copper, other materials from PBC and plastic that will slowly be diluted into the water over time.

“All these carcinogenic substances are dangerous for humans. At the same time, desalination procedures cannot filter through the dangerous heavy metals.

“The main problem is that these chemicals can enter the human body through bioaccumulation - either via desalination of the water or by fish consumption.

“If that happens it will be a huge environmental disaster for the Santorini beaches.”

White-painted grottoes – dug out of the island's natural layers of pumice stone – are the authentic, vernacular architecture of Santorini. Photo / 123RF For Travel - Aug 23

MS Sea Diamond, owned by Louis Hellenic Cruises, sank on a reef off of Santorini on April 5, 2007, with 1195 passengers onboard.

Most of the ship’s passengers — predominantly from the US and Canada — were safely evacuated off the sinking ship.

However, French father Jean Christophe Allain, 45, and his 16-year-old daughter Maud, were never found and presumed dead following the disaster.

Experts tried to decontaminate the ocean surrounding the ship in the months that followed, as well as pump the oil out of the tanks two years later. However, after two unsuccesful attempts, the 469ft ship was left to rot on the ocean floor.