An exploration of the wrecked ship “Aeolus Kenteris” in Sicily was conducted by a team of amateur explorers who went inside the ship and recorded its current condition.
The “Aeolos Kenteris” was operated by the shipping company NEL Lines and was the fastest and most remarkable ships in the Aegean Sea between 2001 and 2007. In fact, it was its speed – up to 40 knots – that was the reason the ship was named after Kostas Kenteris, the Greek Olympic champion of 400m.
The ship, which was one of three passenger ferry “superyachts” ordered by NEL Lines ( along with “Aeolos Kenteris 2” and “Aeolos Kenteris 3”) was built in 2000 in France and in 2001 it started sailing in the Aegean Sea, on the Piraeus-Chios-Lesvos route.
The first problems and his “journey” to Sicily
However, the first problems quickly began to appear, such as coastal damage from its wake and problems from the engines. In fact, because of the accidents caused by the wake, bathers on the beaches of Halkidiki and the Aegean were warned every time the ship passed by,
Following a complaint, it was decided that when passing by beaches, the ship should move 10 miles away from them and at a slower speed. In 2006 it was launched on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Santorini line.
In 2007 it was decided to sell her, together with the S/C – O/C T/C “Panagia Paros”, to Pictor Shipping SA for $85 million, while they were chartered on the Red Sea.
In 2016, and while it had returned to Greece and reverted to its original name, the ship was chartered to Italy to connect Augusta (a port in southeastern Sicily) with Valletta in Malta. It was at this point that renovation work began, which, however, led to its confiscation for debts 5,000,000 euros.
Today, the ship remains semi-submerged in Augusta, Italy, unused for almost 8 years and now forgotten by the general public.
All this until recently, a group of amateur researchers discovered the Aeolus Kenteris off Augusta, revealing its current state with a video.
The team reached the stairs by SUP and captured images of the abandoned ship, which appears rusty, half-submerged, empty, full of rubbish and its legendary saloon dismantled.
The video has been making the rounds on the internet, creating a sense of nostalgia for those who once traveled on it.
