Greek, Italian Authorities Diverge Significantly on Figures for 'Norman Atlantic' Missing

Ninety people are considered missing from the fire-stricken “Norman Atlantic” ferry, according to Italian prosecution authorities, but only 18 according to Greek authorities, Italian news network TG5 said on Friday.
It added that “some names may have been included in the Italian lists of passengers, perhaps more than once, in a slightly different spelling.”
The ship has been towed amid adverse weather conditions to Brindisi port.
Ettore Cardinali, one of the prosecutors handling the case, is going to Brindisi in order to board the ship and ascertain whether there are any deceased in its hold.
The relatives of “Norman Atlantic”’s 10 passengers that are considered missing are expected to fly to Italy later in the day.
Italian authorities have officially notified Greek authorities that they had identified two dead Greek nationals while another 10 persons are considered missing.
On Thursday, the center of operations in Rome (RCC ROMA) officially notified the Search and Rescue Coordination Center of the Greek Coast Guard that due to the incorrect identification by Italian authorities, Greek national Georgios Doulis is not considered dead but is included in the passengers list and is among the people on whom there is no information available for the time being. Shipping Ministry officials contacted Doulis’ son, who thanked them for their prompt reaction.
The head of the Piraeus public prosecutors’ office has asked the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) to determine whether the ship was in compliance with safety regulations and whether all required safety precautions to ensure it was fit to sail had been met.
Judicial sources said the prosecutor has asked for an investigation into when the ship inspections took place and whether all fire safety and life-saving standards were met, as well as a copy of the accident report by Italian authorities that inspect the ship and evidence from the Italian authorities’ investigation, given that the ship is now in foreign territory.
On the basis of the Schengen treaty, Italian authorities are obliged to respond to such requests by OLP, while the Pireaus prosecutor may also request some depositions at the end of the process.
The Piraeus prosecutor ordered the urgent preliminary inquiry in connection with two criminal offences, disruption of maritime transport capable of endangering human life and resulting in deaths, as well as for arson.
In statements to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, a representative of ANEK lines, which had chartered “Norman Atlantic” from Italian company Visemar di Navigazione SRL, said the Greek shipping line who had asked that some Greeks paid by ANEK be included in the crew but that, based on the charter agreement, the Italian company was responsible for safety and crew as a whole.

The Italian Captain Is Blaming Greeks
The Italian captain of “Norman Atlantic,” Argilio Giacomozzi, is blaming the Greeks and ANEK for the tragedy that occurred on December 28. As he noted during his statement, Greek authorities failed to respond to his first call for help.
Furthermore, he noted that the crew followed protocol, which clearly stated that a person must remain in a certain position in order to report everything that is going on to the captain. Then the captain must send a fire crew member to check the situation. Depending on the incident’s severity, the captain activates the alarm, but only for the crew in order to check the ferry, which renders the central alarm system useless and risks causing havoc.
(source: ana-mpa)