A 148-page report, published on Monday, has accused the Hellenic Coast Guard of negligence and failure to protect lives during the June 2023 Pylos shipwreck, one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent European history. Conducted by Greece’s independent Ombudsman, the investigation was launched after the Coast Guard refused to initiate its own disciplinary inquiry. The report presents clear indications that Greek authorities knowingly exposed over 750 migrants aboard the fishing vessel Adriana to life-threatening conditions. The ship ultimately capsized in the Ionian Sea, leaving only 104 survivors while hundreds remain missing and presumed dead.
The investigation, based on nearly 5,000 pages of evidence, draws from official responses from government agencies, journalistic investigations, 17 sworn witness testimonies, a forensic expert report, a legal opinion, and prosecutorial files transferred from the Kalamata Appeals Court. Additionally, ten Coast Guard officers were asked to provide oral and written statements after being given access to the collected material.
The report details significant failures by Greek authorities, beginning with an urgent alert from the Italian Coast Guard at 11:00 AM on June 13, 2023, which warned that Adriana was dangerously overloaded. The warning, later confirmed by Frontex, prompted no immediate rescue operation. Over the next 15 hours, the vessel remained at sea under observation before eventually capsizing. According to the Ombudsman, eight senior Coast Guard officers had prior knowledge of the imminent danger but failed to act appropriately, making them accountable for criminal negligence under Article 306 of the Greek Penal Code, which pertains to exposing individuals to life-threatening conditions.
The report also highlights allegations of an attempted towing operation by the Coast Guard that may have directly contributed to the shipwreck. Survivors have long maintained that the Greek Coast Guard attempted to tow the vessel, destabilizing it in the process. However, crucial evidence that could confirm or disprove this claim has either disappeared or was never recorded, raising serious concerns about a cover-up.
Key evidence missing from the investigation includes data from the mobile phone of the Coast Guard ship’s captain, which is in possession of Greece’s Naval Court in Piraeus but was never shared with investigators. Furthermore, Coast Guard radio communications from the night of the disaster were not digitally recorded, despite legal requirements mandating such documentation. Similarly, video footage from the Coast Guard vessel’s onboard cameras was not submitted, with authorities claiming the cameras were “out of order” due to a technical malfunction. The Ombudsman report stresses that these missing materials are critical to determining responsibility for the shipwreck.
The report has now been forwarded to the Minister of Maritime Affairs for potential disciplinary action, as well as to the Naval Court’s prosecutor for further investigation into possible criminal charges. Greek Ombudsman Andreas Pottakis emphasized that transparency and accountability in such cases are fundamental democratic principles. He also referenced a past ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the Farmakonisi shipwreck, where Greek authorities were found to have failed to take appropriate measures to prevent loss of life.
The report’s findings have sparked renewed political controversy in Greece and the European Union. Kostas Arvanitis, a Greek Member of the European Parliament from the opposition SYRIZA party, has labeled the Pylos shipwreck a crime, directly blaming the Coast Guard for its handling of the tragedy. He also accused Greek authorities of deliberately destroying evidence, questioning, “Who ordered the disappearance of the crucial evidence—camera recordings, phone data, and radio communications? When will justice be served for this crime and its cover-up?”
Alexis Charitsis, leader of Greece’s New Left party, compared the Pylos disaster to the Tempi train crash, another major tragedy that critics say was mismanaged by the Greek government. Charitsis, who was in Kalamata on June 14, 2023, when the few survivors arrived, recalled: “I will never forget the agony and despair I saw. From the very beginning, it was clear that the Pylos tragedy was of an unprecedented scale—but instead of accountability, we have seen the usual state response: scapegoating the survivors while the real perpetrators walk free.”
The report further underscores systemic failures in Greece’s treatment of asylum seekers. International human rights organizations have long accused Greek authorities of illegal pushbacks of migrants in the Aegean Sea, and the European Parliament had already expressed concerns about the lack of progress in the Pylos investigation. Charitsis argues that the Ombudsman’s findings reinforce these fears, stating, “This is not just about the Pylos shipwreck. It is about an organized effort to conceal the truth. Crucial evidence was not disclosed. Camera footage was ‘unavailable.’ Key communications were ‘not recorded.’ The excuses are eerily similar to those used after the Tempi train disaster.”
