On the occasion of the announcement by SYRIZA about his statements to SKAI regarding the tragic incident of the murder of the 36-year-old by the Blue Horizon crew last night in Piraeus, the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Miltiadis Varvitsiotis made the following statement:

“Today, all of Greece is shocked by the tragic death of our 36-year-old fellow man Antonis Kargiotis by the actions of the crew members of the “Blue Horizon” ship.

Our condolences to his family. We condemn the sailors for their illegal actions. But also for the fact that they did not follow the unwritten rule that Greek sailors have been honoring for centuries: to save people at sea and not throw them into it, especially under these conditions.

Justice has assumed the role it has for the performance of the criminal responsibilities of those responsible for the tragic event.

I requested an urgent EDE for the administrative actions of the Central Port Authority of Piraeus regarding the management of the fatal incident.

Under these circumstances it is inconceivable that some people try to take advantage of the fact politically and accuse me of trying to equate the victim with the perpetrators.

Such a thing is unthinkable to me.

I want to assure the victim’s family that the Ministry of Shipping will do everything possible to bring the responsibilities to those who should.”