Crew Rescued From Grounded Containership at Mykonos Island – VIDEO

Updated: March 11, 2014 (Originally published March 8, 2014)

The Hellenic Coast Guard called in some help from the U.S. Navy on Saturday to assist in the rescue of crewmembers from a grounded containership at Mykonos Island in the southern Aegean Sea.

A statement from the Hellenic Coast said authorities were coordinating a response for the Turkish-flagged containership, MV Yusuf Cepnioglu, after the ship went aground early Saturday morning along the rocky northern shore of Mykonos Island.

The Hellenic Coast Guard crews and another vessel initially rescued of 12 of 14 crewmembers onboard, but the Master and Chief Mate refused to abandon the ship. As the condition of the vessel worsened, the coast guard requested assistance from the nearby USS Bataan, which sent a Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter team and rescue swimmers to retreive the two remaining mariners. The two men were treated by Bataan’s medical team and then transferred to the Hellenic Coast Guard.

The vessel is believed to have sustained damage to a forward ballast tank and is taking on water. A photo from the seen shows the vessel listing heavily along the rocky coastline.

The MV Yusuf Cepnioglu is laden with 204 containers and was sailing from Izmir, Turkey to the port Biserte, Tunisia, the Hellenic Coast Guard said.

The incident is under investigation by the Greek Navy Accident Investigation Service.

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