A Coast Guard officer who was on duty the day Antonis Kariotis, 36, was killed by members of the Blue Horizon crew, gives his answers to questions about the events of last Tuesday evening.
He reportedly stated in his testimony that on the fateful evening he was in the port of Piraeus and in the area he was assigned to guard, explaining that a few minutes before the tragic incident, he walked away from the ferry boarding area and headed to the ticket office from – for quarrels.
A Coast Guard employee claims that shortly before the ramp closed and as the ship was leaving, he noticed foreigners arguing near the ticket counters. Then he headed there to see what was happening, and, hearing screams from the Blue Horizon, immediately returned back.
Arriving at the pier, he heard citizens shouting “man overboard” and only then did he see 36-year-old Antonis. He then reportedly began searching for and recovering the body using a small skiff, which was carrying another Coast Guard member.
The Coast Guard is responsible for security and order in the port of Piraeus. The distance of its employees from the scene of the tragedy is minimal, or at least should be minimal. Even if this incident of unprecedented brutality had not occurred, the very fact of a ship leaving the port with an open catapult is a clear violation of the law, and everyone who was in the port should be held accountable for it.
If this happens, it means it happened many times and became a habit. In other words, the law is broken out of… habit. This also means that there is an intertwined relationship between port authorities and shipowners, who enjoy a kind of, if not complete, immunity.
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