The local authorities in Zakynthos recently discovered an abandoned freighter filled with cigarettes on the remote western shores of the island, near Porto Vromi. The Palau Islands-flagged Amaranthus appears to have been abandoned by its crew and was located by a Coast Guard patrol.
Upon closer inspection, the Coast Guard officers found that more than half of the vessel’s storage area contained hundreds of cartons of cigarettes. The Coast Guard also managed to find documents referring to the Amaranthus and a second vessel named ISIK 2, under Moldavian flag. The same name was still legible on the vessel, despite an attempt to erase it.
The authorities also found a list of the vessel’s crew members, all of whom appear to be Ukrainian. The Police have received the information and will attempt to locate them.
As the weather conditions in the area are deteriorating, the abandoned freighter has been securely tied, while the Fire Brigade was called out to pump sea water out of the ship’s storage areas. Efforts will also be made to seal a rupture in the ship’s hull.
