A 35-year-old seafarer was found hanged in his cabin on board a Maltese-flagged bulker under repair near Piraeus, Greek coastguards said on Wednesday.
A TradeWinds source and the ship’s confirmed flag and location at the repair yard of Perama show that the vessel in question is the 56,900-dwt Zografia (built 2010), which was hit by a Houthi missile in January.
Managers at the Zografia’s owners Vulcanus Technical Maritime Enterprises declined to comment on the phone and did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.
According to a coastguard statement, the victim was a kitchen cleaner and was declared dead in a nearby hospital.
Greek coastguards declined to further discuss the issue, to confirm that the seafarer took his own life and whether he had been on board when a Houthi missile pierced the Zografia's deck and sides two months ago.
An autopsy is said to be under way.
A source told TradeWinds that the seafarer in question was a national of Ukraine. The Zografia is known to have had a Ukrainian master.
The ship has been under repair in Greece after the Houthis attacked it twice on 16 January, as TradeWinds reported at the time.
Footage shot from a camera on the vessel’s bridge showed a Houthi missile exploding on deck amidship towards the bow.
On its way out, the projectile left a gaping hole in the Zografia’s port side, amidship towards the bow and near the waterline.
The missile nevertheless caused no injuries or serious damage and the Greek-owned ship continued its journey. After initial repairs at the Suez Canal, the vessel sailed on to Greece.
