Cargo ship “Apollonia VI”, with Piraeus ship registry number 4431, DDS SV 3282, a volume of 746 gross registered tonnage and 414 net registered tonnage, constructed in 1955 at Bremen, functioning with an KLO- ECKNER-HUMBOLDT- DEUTZ internal combustion engine of 1.000 BHP.

The ship’s captain was Konstantinos Tsantiris, with a license as a practise captain, and an 8-member crew, 5 Greeks and 3 foreigners. The ship sailed at about 20.00 on 10 June 1980 from Chalkida to Tripoli, Libya with a general cargo of 1.440 tones. From the total of the cargo, 4.000 rolls were loaded on the deck and the rest at the hold.

The weather conditions were good, but at about 2.00 the visibility started to fall. When the ship was reaching Makronissos, the captain realized that they were too close to Tripiti reef, at the northern side of Makronissos. That was the reason why he went out of the navigation room, took the helm from the sailor Ivo Manuel and turned it full right. However, while he was turning the helm, at about 2.30 on 11 June 1980, the ship grounded on Tripiti reef, 37°-45΄ North and 24°-07΄ East. Immediately, they he tried to hold the engine and broadcast the mayday. From the water collectors it was determined that hold N° 1 was filling with water which alerted the First Engineer to start operating the pumps.

However, despite the pumps’ functioning, the level of the water was increasing rapidly and the ship had an inclination of an angle of  5° degrees to the left. The Service of Research and Rescue of the Greek Ministry for Merchant Shipping as well as the ship owners were informed concerning the existing danger. At about 3.00 the crew, except for the Captain, the Lieutenant and the First Engineer, were boarded on the left rescue boat and stayed at a small distance from the ship. Later, at about 6.00, the situation was getting wors due to the ship sinking gradually and the engine room being full of water.

At about 6.10, the passenger ship “Aghios Nektarios”, with Lavrio ship register number 214, arrived having on board the Harbourmaster of Lavrio and later at about 6.40, when the ship took a sudden incline of 10° degrees to the right, the captain ordered the complete ship abandonment. The crew was transferred safe to Lavrio. It is noted that in the ship a radar as well as a gyrocompass were functioning. The ship was characterised by the insurers as a presumed total loss and a part of the cargo was salvaged.