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A Vanuatu-flagged cargo ship carrying approximately 8,000 metric tons of soda ash sank on Wednesday after hitting rocks off the island of Andros in the Aegean Sea. All nine crew members, eight Turkish nationals and one Azerbaijani, were rescued safely by the Greek Coast Guard.
The freighter was sailing from Albania to Ukraine when it ran aground in a rocky area north of Andros and subsequently sank, Greek state broadcaster ERT reported, citing coast guard operations at the scene.
Two crew members were rescued from the sea by a coast guard vessel, while the remaining seven were located and extracted from a difficult rocky area on the island, according to ERT.
All rescued sailors were transported safely to the island's port and were reported to be in good health. They were also taken to the island's clinic, according to a Greek coast guard official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
The cargo ship "Corsage C," which was sailing from Albania to Ukraine carrying approximately 8,000 metric tons of soda ash, suffered serious damage after hitting rocks, resulting in its sinking.
The Greek Coast Guard deployed two patrol vessels to the scene, with two more en route.
The passenger vessel Samos, three nearby ships, and a Greek Air Force helicopter also responded to assist the rescue operation, according to Greek media.
The coast guard official told Reuters the cause of the accident was not immediately clear, adding that the ship's captain confirmed no crew members were missing.
"No visible signs of pollution were reported from the sunken vessel, though the coast guard said it would deploy a sea barrier as a precautionary measure," the official said.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the grounding and sinking.
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