Captain Stelios Koumbias from Chios, President of the Pan-Chian Union of Retired Seafarers, speaks on “Fair Winds and Following Seas” on Voice of Greece about the Union’s 35 years of activity, its initiatives, and the main problems faced by retired seafarers from Chios. He also recounts his voyages in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf during the Iran–Iraq War, describing the psychological pressure experienced by crews in addition to the many other dangers they had to confront.
“In 1984–1985 I was sailing on Niarchos’ OBO-type vessel M/V WORLD DUET, and things were extremely difficult. In front of us we witnessed the explosion and sinking of a British LNG carrier, and a little further on the sinking of a huge Korean vessel—around a 200-thousand-ton ship—which had been hit by three missiles. The entire ship had sunk and only its bow was visible, while we ourselves sailed only at night under complete blackout. All lights were off, even the navigation lights,” Captain Stelios Koumbias recalls.
Produced and presented by Antonis Karagiannakis