Paros: tourist vessel runs aground at Kolymbithres

A Greek-flagged professional tourist vessel ran aground in the afternoon of Wednesday 19 August 2026 in the “KOLYMBITHRES” sea area of Naoussa on Paros, according to a Hellenic Coast Guard release. The Port Authority of Paros was informed of the incident by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. There were nineteen people on board in total: twelve foreign passengers and seven crew members. The passengers were six nationals of Saudi Arabia, one national of Sudan, one of the United States, one of the Philippines, one of Spain and one of the United Kingdom. The alert reached the Port Authority while the vessel was already aground, with everyone on board still on it.

A private vessel with a Coast Guard officer aboard rushed to the spot, while private divers also assisted. The tourist vessel was eventually refloated under its own power and sailed to the anchorage of Naoussa Bay. The passengers were transferred to a tender and taken to Naoussa marina; according to the Coast Guard, all were in good health. No injuries were reported from the incident, nor any marine pollution in the wider area. The Paros Port Authority is conducting a preliminary inquiry and has banned the vessel from sailing until it produces a certificate from the competent monitoring organisation. The operation unfolded without any need for towing or the intervention of a larger vessel, as the crew itself managed to get clear of the shallows. Passengers were taken ashore gradually using the vessel’s tender.

As part of the procedure, the vessel’s master was arrested for breaching legislative decree 712/1970 “On the administrative investigation of maritime accidents”. This is the standard procedure followed in incidents of this type and does not prejudge the findings of the inquiry; the causes of the grounding have not been announced and the master is not named in the Coast Guard release. Kolymbithres, with its distinctive granite formations, is one of the busiest day-trip destinations in Naoussa Bay, with heavy boat traffic at the height of the summer season. The arrest means the case enters the judicial process, without responsibility having been attributed to anyone at this stage. The releases give neither the name nor the details of the vessel.

The incident comes during a period of increased checks on professional tourist vessels in the Cyclades, as the recent checks on tourist boats on Santorini also showed. The next step is the completion of the preliminary inquiry by the Paros Port Authority and an assessment of the vessel’s condition by the competent organisation, so that it can be decided whether and when the sailing ban will be lifted. No estimate of the extent of damage to the vessel has been made public, nor any timetable for completing the inquiry. Until the inspection is completed, the vessel remains held at the Naoussa anchorage and cannot carry out scheduled sailings. Checks of this type concern both the safety of navigation and the protection of the marine environment.