It was late winter in the southern hemisphere when the Greek-owned cruise ship MTS Oceanos left the port of East London on South Africa’s east coast. The departure on the afternoon of August 3, 1991, took the vessel into a stormy Indian Ocean, but she was not seaworthy enough to handle gale-force winds and massive swells.
Oceanos's Maintenance below Standard
The almost 40-year-old Oceanos had been built in France and had changed ownership and names several times. She had seen better days.
Famous Ocean Liners reports that, “The ship had been a victim of intentional or unintentional negligence [and had sailed] with a 10 cm hole in the watertight bulkhead, loose hull plates, and check valves stripped for repairs.”
There was a faulty waste-disposal system in the engine room that was being repaired as the ship left port.
And, the company that owned the cruise liner, Epirotiki Lines, did not have a good safety record. According to a New York Times article (August 1991) “a member of the family that owns the line was quoted anonymously by The Associated Press as expressing concern that the company had lost three ships in three years.”
Explosion and Flooding Aboard Oceanos
At about 9.30 pm on August 3 passengers heard a muffled explosion. Disasters at Sea notes that shortly afterwards “The engineer explained that the ship was taking in water, either from a leak in the hull or after touching ground en route. The water had shorted the generators and immobilized the engines. The hole in the watertight bulkhead was allowing water to flood” into the ship. Check valves to stop the flow had not been installed in the waste disposal system so water was backing up through every toilet and shower on board.
Without power, the ship wallowed in nine-metre (30-foot) swells and began taking on more water.
Captain Yiannis Avranas Abandons His Passengers
While the captain, Yiannis Avranas, and many of the crew packed and got ready to leave the passengers were not told the ship was in peril.
Keith Morrison of NBC Dateline reports that the crew began leaving in half-empty lifeboats: “By midnight on the Oceanos most of the officers had abandoned ship, many crew too.” The safety of the passengers was largely left in the hands of the cruise ship’s entertainment staff.
One of the entertainers, guitarist Moss Hills, went to the bridge for instructions and found it empty; the captain had left the remaining 200 or so passengers to fend for themselves.
The cruise director Lorraine Betts eventually found the captain trying to get into one of the lifeboats. She hauled him back on board but said he seemed to have shut down and was incapable of directing the evacuation.
But, the ship was listing so heavily that the remaining lifeboats could not be launched.
Miraculous Rescue from Oceanos
Fortunately for those still on board they were in sight of the shore – the aptly named Wild Coast – and South Africa’s search and rescue helicopters were scrambled. But, it was still the middle of the night and the terrified passengers had to wait until dawn, four hours later, before help arrived.
Amazingly, the helicopters used in the operation pulled everybody off the pitching deck of the doomed vessel. Hills, and magician Julian Butler were the last to leave. The ship sank that afternoon.
Interviewed just after the disaster Captain Avranas said: “When I order abandon the ship, it doesn’t matter what time I leave. Abandon is for everybody. If some people like to stay, they can stay.”
Sources
“The Most Destructive Cruise Ship Accidents.” Famous Ocean Liners, undated.
“Disasters at Sea: MTS Oceanos.” All at Sea, undated
“A Captain’s Tale: ‘The Rescue Was Perfect - Everybody Is Safe.’ ” Barry James, New York Times, August 8, 1991.
“Disasters: Going, Going . . .” Howard G. Chua-Eoan, Time Magazine, August 19, 1991.
“Miracle on the Wild Coast.” Keith Morrison, NBC Dateline, February 27, 2011.
Rupert Taylor - Rupert Taylor is the editor of a magazine that provides background to current events.
