MTS Oceanos

32°07′15″S 29°07′13″E / 32.12083°S 29.12028°E / -32.12083; 29.12028 (Oceanos wreck)

Oceanos in June 1986
History
NameOceanos
NamesakeJean Laborde (as Jean Laborde)
OwnerEpirotiki Lines
OperatorEpirotiki Lines
Port of registryPiraeus, Greece
BuilderForges et Chantiers de la Gironde
Yard numberYS267
Laid down6 March 1951
Launched12 July 1952
CompletedJune 1953
In service1953-1991
Out of service4 August 1991
IdentificationIMO number5170991
FateSunk due to uncontrolled flooding on 4 August 1991 off the coast of South Africa
General characteristics
TypeCruise ship
Tonnage14,000 GT
Length153 m (502 ft)
Beam20 m (66 ft)
Draft7 m (23 ft)
Decks6–9
Speed
  • 18.5 knots (maximum)
  • 16 knots (cruise)
Capacity550 passengers
Crew250

MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when she suffered uncontrolled flooding. Her captain, Yiannis Avranas, and some of the crew were convicted of negligence for fleeing the ship without helping the passengers, who were subsequently rescued thanks to the efforts of the ship's entertainers, who made a mayday transmission, launched lifeboats, and helped South African Marines land on the ship from naval helicopters. All 571 passengers and crew survived.

Epirotiki Lines had lost two other ships within the three years preceding the sinking: the company's flagship Pegasus only two months before, and MV Jupiter, three years before.[1]

  1. ^ Wren, Christopher S. (7 August 1991). "Owner of Lost Greek Cruise Ship Has History of Maritime Mishaps". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009.