MTS Oceanos
32°07′15″S 29°07′13″E / 32.12083°S 29.12028°E
Oceanos in June 1986 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Oceanos |
| Namesake |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator | Epirotiki Lines |
| Port of registry | Piraeus, Greece |
| Builder | Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde |
| Yard number | YS267 |
| Laid down | 6 March 1951 |
| Launched | 12 July 1952 |
| Completed | June 1953 |
| In service | 1953 - 1991 |
| Out of service | 4 August 1991 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5170991 |
| Fate | Sank due to uncontrolled flooding on 4 August 1991 off the coast of South Africa. All passengers and crew on board rescued with no casualties. |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cruise ship |
| Tonnage | 14,000 GT |
| Length | 153 m (502 ft) |
| Beam | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Draft | 7 m (23 ft) |
| Decks | 6–9 |
| Speed |
|
| Capacity | 550 passengers |
| Crew | 250 |
MTS Oceanos was a French-built and Greek-owned cruise ship that sank in 1991 when it suffered uncontrolled flooding. Her captain, Yiannis Avranas, and some of the crew fled the ship without helping the passengers; they were later convicted of negligence. The ship's entertainers made a mayday transmission, launched lifeboats, and helped South African Marines land on the ship from naval helicopters. The entertainer Moss Hills’s actions enabled the rescue of all 571 passengers and crew and attracted international headlines.
Epirotiki Lines had lost two other ships within the three preceding years: the company's flagship Pegasus only two months before, and MV Jupiter, three years before.