Diving and exploring Ghannis D

One of the most interesting locations is the Abu Nuhas reef, after a collision with which many vessels ended their service by going to the bottom. Among them was, inter alia, the cargo ship “Ghiannis D”. The huge, almost 100m long vessel, is one of the biggest wreck attractions, and what is most important, it is easily accessible.

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“Ghiannis D” was built by the Japanese shipyard Kuryshima Dock Company in 1969, and received its first name – Shoyo Maru. The ship, with a capacity of almost 3,000 tonnes, was equipped with a 6-cylinder engine, allowing it to develop a speed of 12 knots. In 1975 the vessel was sold and renamed “Markos” (this name is still painted on the hull). Five years later, in 1980, she was bought by a Greek ship owner – The Dumarc Shipping and Trading Corporation of Piraeus. The new owner gave her the name by which she is best known – “Ghiannis D”.

It set off on its last voyage loaded with timber from the port of Rijeka in Croatia. The cargo was to be delivered to ports in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The voyage across the Adriatic and the Mediterranean passed smoothly and according to plan. The most difficult crossing awaited the crew on the Red Sea. It was there, after passing the Suez Canal, that they found themselves in dangerous waters, full of small islands and coral formations hidden just below the surface. Despite the crew’s experience and increased vigilance, on 13 April 1983 “Ghiannis D” crashed into a coral reef and sank. Fortunately, the shipwreck did not cause any casualties, apart from the one offered to Neptune in the form of cargo.

You can find more information about the wreck here.

Giannis D Red Sea TEC EXPEDITION 1/9/12 from Diving Explorers on Vimeo.

Source: diving-stars.com