According to an investigation by Ef.Syn. and OmniaTV, there are allegedly missing critical operational communications from Hellenic Coast Guard in the Maritime Court prosecutor’s office investigation into the 2023 Pylos shipwreck, where over 650 migrants drowned.
Ef.Syn. reports that key conversations from the two and a half hours before the vessel sank are missing from the official record, including communications with the fishing boat in distress and the Coast Guard patrol vessel PPLS-920. Instead of using recorded channels, the investigation states that Coast Guard officers communicated via unrecorded phone calls.
This has been echoed by other reporting in Kathimerini, which reported no recorded calls exist between the Coast Guard and the fishing boat or PPLS-920 between 11:34 p.m. on June 13 and 2:22 a.m. on June 14, the very moments before the ship sank. Kathimerini states that frequent calls resumed after the vessel had already sunk, displaying recovery efforts rather than the events leading up to the disaster.
Additionally in reportedly leaked communications, officials can be heard instructing those on board the migrant ship to say they wanted to continue to Italy rather than be rescued in Greece.
Ef.Syn. and Omnia Tv shared an allegedly leaked conversation between the Unified Search and Rescue Coordination Center (EKSED) operator and the fishing trawler, prior to the sinking. In the background of another call one can hear the instructions:
“Okay, yes, the boat is approaching you to give you oil, water and food. And in an hour we will send a second boat, okay? Tell the captain of the big boat “we don’t want to go to Greece”, okay? ”
The Coast Guard claims, according to Ef.Syn., that it submitted all relevant materials to the prosecutor, but evidence suggests a committee selectively decided which calls to provide.
A report by the Greek Ombudsman earlier this month into the deadly Pylos shipwreck found several gaps in the evidence provided by the Greek Coast Guard, as well as evidence of dereliction of duty.
Additionally, Ef.Syn. reports that the Coast Guard claimed the patrol boat lacked a working black box and had inoperative cameras. Kathimerini also reported that the Coast Guard cited technical failures as a reason for the missing data, though there were no reports of a broader system failure at the time.
They report the Maritime Court prosecutor has now summoned senior Coast Guard officers for further testimony, including the Chief of the Coast Guard, the operations branch chief, and the captain of PPLS-920.
