Aegean News

Fifteen migrants died after their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel, capsized and sank off the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea late on Tuesday, the coast guard said, in one of the deadliest migrant shipwrecks in Greece in years.The incident occurred after a migrant boat sailing towards Chios with its navigation lights switched off ignored signals from a coast guard patrol vessel and changed course, the coast guard said in a statement.All those on board were thrown into the sea a few miles off the Turkish coast, it said.

Greece plans to extend its territorial waters further, including potentially in the Aegean Sea, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on Friday, despite Turkey's long-standing threat of war should Athens take such a step.The NATO allies, but historic rivals, have eased tensions in recent years but remain at odds over where their continental shelves begin and end in the Aegean - an area believed to hold significant energy potential and with implications for overflights and airspace.Greece has already extended its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 nautical miles from six…

Greece, Israel and Cyprus will step up joint air and naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean in 2026, deepening their defence cooperation, Greek military officials and a senior source said on Monday.The three eastern Mediterranean nations have drawn closer over the past decade through joint military drills, defence procurement and energy cooperation, developments closely watched by regional rival Turkey.Greece’s armed forces general staff (GEETHA) said senior military officials from the three countries signed a joint action plan for defence cooperation last week in Cyprus.

Greece's security council, KYSEA, approved on Wednesday the purchase of a fourth Belharra frigate from France to modernise its armed forces and as it tries to keep pace with historic rival Turkey, two government sources told Reuters.Greece has a long-standing dispute with its NATO ally Turkey over maritime waters, and the security council meeting comes after Ankara said it would conduct scientific research in the Aegean Sea in the coming days.Athens agreed in 2021 to procure new Belharra frigates for about 3.0 billion euros ($3.3 billion), with an option for one more, as it aims to replace old

Five people were killed and another severely wounded when a boat carrying migrants hit a Turkish coast guard vessel off northwest Turkey on Sunday, a local governor's office said, adding a search operation was underway for a missing person.In a statement, the governor's office said a high-speed boat carrying 34 migrants and one migrant trafficker hit the coast guard vessel off Ayvalik district's Badavut coast."As a result of the search and rescue operations in the region, it was determined that 5 people who fell into the sea lost their lives.

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), CORE POWER and Athlos Energy have formed a consortium to evaluate the potential of positioning the floating nuclear power (FNPP) platforms to meet the energy demands of islands, ports and coastal communities in the Mediterranean Sea.The group will research how FNPPs can potentially unlock a range of applications including the establishment of grid-scale electricity to remote locations, the delivery of emission-free energy to ports and the distribution…

Greece introduced a 20-euro ($23) fee on tourists arriving on Santorini by cruise ship on Tuesday to try to rein in overtourism and collect revenues to upgrade the island's infrastructure.The volcanic island in the Aegean Sea attracts about 2 million tourists a year, but with a population of about 15,000, a single main port and growing concerns of seismic activity, the government has sought to reduce the impact of tourism.Introduction of the fee follows moves in other parts of…

Russia has released a Greek-owned oil tanker which was detained in Russian waters on Sunday after leaving an Estonian port, and the vessel has resumed its journey towards the Dutch port of Rotterdam, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Tuesday.The detention of the vessel has increased concerns over potential escalation in busy Baltic sea lanes where major oil supplies pass through, after separate action by Estonia in recent days to stop tankers as part of enforcing Western sanctions on Russia."Expect heightened maritime security risks…

Russia detained a Greek-owned oil tanker on Sunday after it left an Estonian Baltic Sea port, the Estonian Foreign Ministry said, adding it had alerted NATO allies to the incident.The Liberia-flagged ship Green Admire was leaving Sillamae port using a designated navigation channel that crosses Russian territorial waters, the ministry said in a statement."This is definitely connected to the fact that we have started to harass Russia's shadow fleet," Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told Estonian broadcaster ERR.

Greece has submitted plans to the EU setting out how it will organise maritime activities such as fishing, tourism and offshore energy after years of delays that drew rebuke from the European Commission.In February the EU Court of Justice ruled that Greece had violated EU regulations by failing to draft a maritime spatial plan by March 2021. The European Commission had referred Greece to the court over the delays.Maritime spatial plans define where activities including fishing…

Greece's tourism jewel, Santorini, welcomed its first cruise ship of the year on Sunday after thousands of small earthquakes in February created a state of emergency, forced thousands to flee and had locals fearing the season would be lost.Millions of tourists flock to Santorini every year, squeezing along its whitewashed cobbled streets to view its famous cliff-top sunset. The increased seismic activity - unprecedented even in a country as quake-prone as Greece - had prompted authorities to shut schools…

Greece will spend more than 25 billion euros in arms procurements by 2036, including new submarines, drones, satellites and fighter jets, under a 12-year plan to be submitted to parliament in the coming weeks, three officials with knowledge of the plan told Reuters.The move is part of Greece's bid to modernise its armed forces as it emerges from the 2009-18 debt crisis that led to years of austerity, and as it tries to keep pace with its historic rival Turkey.The two countries are at odds over sea boundaries…

A new analysis from Windward reports a 20% decrease in the volume of direct oil voyages out of Russia in Q3 2024 compared to Q2.Q3 2024 marked the lowest monthly average of direct voyages from Russia to China since March 2023. When compared to Q2 2024 averages, there is a decrease of 12% in such voyages.This is the first total volume decrease since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine and is likely related to the slight decrease in port calls in Russia this quarter.However…

Greece will start negotiations to buy a fourth Belharra frigate from France to strengthen its navy as it recovers from a decade-long debt crisis, the country's defence minister said on Thursday.Greece agreed in 2021 to get three new Belharra frigates for 3.0 billion euros ($3.34 billion), with an option for one more, as it aims to replace old units that have operated for more than 30 years in its navy."I am pleased to announce today Greece's intention to start negotiations to acquire one more frigate…

A 39-year-old migrant was found dead on Friday after the Greek coastguard opened fire on a vessel carrying migrants off the island of Symi in the eastern Aegean Sea, authorities said.In a statement, the coastguard said the man died "probably from a bullet" and that shots were fired at the outboard engine of the migrant boat in an effort to immobilize it after it ignored warnings to stop.An investigation has been launched, a coastguard official told Reuters, without elaborating.

Traders are moving Russian diesel cargoes to a new ship-to-ship (STS) loadings site in the northern Aegean Sea, as Western sanctions hit vessels carrying fuel loaded in Russian ports, LSEG and market sources data show.Since a full European Union embargo on importing Russian oil products took effect in February 2023, traders have diverted diesel exports from Russian ports to Brazil, Turkey, countries in Africa, Asia and STS loadings. STS loadings make it harder for Western countries…

A replica Viking ship has berthed in Montenegro's Adriatic port of Bar on a years-long trip through European waters inspired by the Norse seafarers who set out from Scandinavia to explore, trade and conquer a millennium ago.The ship, Saga Farmann, is a full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking cargo vessel, or knarr, made from oak and pine, which was found in Norway as early as 1893 but only excavated in the 1970s."This is the type of ship that would travel to Iceland…

Commodities trader Trafigura has completed its first ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of ammonia in international waters close to the port of Ceuta in the Strait of Gibraltar.Approximately 6,000 metric tonnes of ammonia (NH3), supplied by CF Industries from their Donaldsonville, Louisiana-based manufacturing complex, was safely transferred between the Green Power Medium Gas Carrier (MGC), owned by ship owner/operator Purus on time charter to Trafigura, and small gas carrier the Gas…

Stena RoRo announced it has ordered another two E-Flexer RoPax vessels from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai), for delivery in 2027.This is Stena RoRo's fourteenth and fifteenth vessel in the E-Flexer series.The two vessels will enter service under long-term charter to Greek shipping company Attica Group for operations in the Adriatic Sea. Attica Group has an option to purchase the newbuilds and also a potential option for two more vessels.The E-Flexer series is based on a concept with larger vessels than today's standard RoPax ferries and is very flexible.

When scientists in the 1960s excavated the wreck of an ancient Greek merchant ship off the northern coast of Cyprus, what they found was an amazing time capsule from a pivotal period in the Mediterranean world following the death of Alexander the Great.But determining the date of the Kyrenia shipwreck with any sort of precision has proven difficult, and some previous scientific dating yielded conclusions that conflicted with the archeological evidence. Researchers have now calculated…

Viking Life-Saving Equipment won a new order for 11 ambulance boats from the Hellenic Coastguard.The Viking Norsafe Munin S-1200 ambulance boats will be used to support emergency services and auxiliary healthcare in remote areas, including the islands of Thassos, Psara, Agios Efstratios, Fournoi, Kea, Lipsi, Kasos, North Evia, Zakynthos and Creta (Sfakia, and Ierapetra).Manufactured in Greece, the Viking Norsafe Munin S-1200 is the largest boat currently offered by VIKING and is designed to operate safely up to Beaufort force 8 and at wave heights up to 4m.

The International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) has announced the winners of this year’s IMRF Awards, which recognize all those involved in global maritime search and rescue (SAR) efforts.The IMRF Awards acknowledge those that have shown excellence in their field, developed innovative technology and equipment, or acted as a role model to inspire others. The awards also shine a light on those colleagues who offer the tireless support, training, and planning that enables SAR crews to do what they do…

Maritime traffic from the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara has been suspended due to the ongoing forest fire in the Turkish northwestern province of Canakkale, the transport ministry and a shipping agency said on Tuesday."The traffic at Dardanelles was suspended for both directions on Tuesday at 18:45 (1545 GMT) hours due to the aircraft intervening in the forest fire in the region by safely taking water from the sea," Tribeca shipping agency said.The Dardanelles Strait, a narrow and historically significant passage connecting the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea…