The crew members of both the tanker and the cargo ship involved in the collision under still unclear circumstances in the sea area of the Kafireas Strait, south of Karystos, are reported to be in good health.

The collision caused only minor material damage above the waterline. There was no water ingress or marine pollution.

The tanker, with 26 crew members aboard, loaded with 131,941 metric tons of crude oil, had departed from Novorossiysk, Russia, and was headed for the port of Castellón, Spain.

The cargo ship, with 22 crew members aboard, had departed empty from a port in Italy with its destination set for the port of Constanța, Romania.

Due to weather conditions and the unsafe approach to the port of Karystos, both ships are sailing independently towards the anchorage of Piraeus, where they are expected to be temporarily prohibited from departing in order to undergo inspections and obtain seaworthiness certificates from the supervising classification societies.