It smashed last Tuesday at nearly full speed into rocks marked with a beacon. The answer, already encrusted with myth, begins three decades ago when the golden era of Greek shipping began yielding to commercial imperatives. Most of the annual 10 million passengers wanted speed and economy. To make a profit, Minoan Flying Dolphins, which persuaded the government to grant it a virtual monopoly, needed to cut costs. Ferries rusted but were not replaced.
Monopolies are no good for anyone.
They press and press for more money,' said Vangelis Kouzilos, president of the Greek masters and mates union. Yiannakis complained to Efoplistis about his ship's faults. Five years ago all systems failed as it entered Karlovassi port on Samos and he averted disaster by steering with anchors. Minoan Flying Dolphins, a subsidiary of Minoan Lines, which renamed the ship Express Samina, says inspectors judged it seaworthy. In 1989, when working for another company, Yiannakis grounded the ferry Nirius off the coast of Rhodes, and sank it a month later after crashing into Crete harbour.