Justice Minister Costas Fytiris said the Cabinet is expected to approve a temporary decree tomorrow banning vessels from sailing in extreme weather, following an emergency meeting on the Cape Greco tragedy that killed businessman Dimi Mavropoulos.
The meeting was held on Tuesday morning at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), attended by the Justice Minister, the Agriculture Minister and the Deputy Minister of Shipping, to address what Fytiris described as a serious gap in the rules governing vessel departures during bad weather. The decree will remain in force until relevant legislation is implemented, he said.
Fytiris said the ministers had judged it necessary to meet after the Cape Greco incident to look into what happened and how, and to decide what could be done during the transitional period before a coast guard is established.
He said the Cabinet had already approved the creation of a coast guard to provide unified coordination of all maritime activities, after identifying a dispersal of responsibilities that has existed for 60 years. The government decided in March to proceed with setting up the coast guard, he added, noting that the relevant bill is currently undergoing legal-technical review before going to Parliament for a vote.
According to Fytiris, the incident exposed distortions that will be addressed in the transitional period through a series of decisions taken at Tuesday’s meeting. He said the Cabinet is expected to issue a decision, hopefully tomorrow, banning departures depending on weather conditions and on the size and displacement of vessels, so that violators understand there will be consequences. The measure will apply until the coast guard bill is passed, which itself provides for sanctions against anyone violating decrees issued under it, he said.
Fytiris said the Port Police and the Police Helicopter Unit will monitor the decree. Checks will be carried out along the coast once the Department of Meteorology issues warnings of adverse weather, he said, with anyone outside ports and marinas called on to enter for their protection.
Fytiris said Saturday’s rescue operation was carried out with full coordination from the JRCC and considerable risk to the helicopter crews involved, adding that the worst may have been avoided given how critical the situation had become, with the boats close to the rocks from which two vessels were lost.
He said he hoped and believed such an incident would not happen again, but added that this also requires the cooperation of citizens and boat owners in heeding warnings from both the Department of Meteorology and the JRCC, since these warnings are sent to everyone.
