Greek Cargo Ship Sinks After Collision

Two cargo ships collided near the Greek port of Thessaloniki at noon on Wednesday, leaving one captain missing with his sunk vessel. The Panama-registered cargo ship "Dubai Guardian" was entering the harbor in northeastern Greece when it rammed into the Greek-flagged "Diamond I" carrying lignite, about 1 nautical mile (less than 2 km) off the coast. A helicopter, a coast guard and other vessels search waters outside the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki, after two cargo ships collided."Diamond I" sank, taking its captain with it, reported the Athens News Agency. But six other crew members were picked up by a rescue ship. The Thessaloniki Port Authority has launched an investigation into the causes of the collision. It was the second maritime accident near Thessaloniki in less than a week. Last Friday, a Greek ferry collided with a fishing boat 23 km off the coast. All the 143 passengers on board were safely disembarked and the six fishermen were unharmed.