Wreck of the Edro III, Sea Caves, Pafos

Still Stranded

The Edro III, an 83 meter long, 2,517 ton freighter ran aground in stormy weather in the Sea Caves area of Pafos between Coral Bay and St. George’s Island on 8 December 2011.

The Edro III left Limassol the previous day in bad weather with a cargo of plasterboard bound for Rhodes.  The strong winds and rough seas caused the vessel to drift off course when it struck a rock and ran into trouble about ten miles from the shore of Paphos and became disabled.

The Edro III drifted until it finally went ashore near Peyia, hitting the rocks between 4am and 5am.  The ship got stuck broadside approximately 15 metres from the shore with the bow wedged in a rocky stretch of the beach. 

A helicopter of the British Army stationed in Limassol, winched seven of the nine crew members of the ship up. They were brought ashore where they were given precautionary medical check-ups. The captain and the chief engineer remained on board. The crew comprised seven Albanians and two Egyptians.

The Edro III was built in 1966 by Kaldnes Mekaniske Verksted at Tonsberg in Norway.  At the time of the accident it was registered at Freetown in Sierra Leone.

It is not clear how the ship will be removed from the rocks, but until the appropriate authorities figure a way out do NOT miss this chance of seeing this wreck from close quarters and take a break from everything to head to the near-by cafe/restaurant with this magnificent view.

The ship-wreck has long been a tourist and photographer’s favourite as she shimmers in the clear waters, especially at sunset. The sun embraces the wreck sourrounded by the deep blue sea and the caves. Serenity at its best.

Cyprus is full of magic, full of unforgetable moments. 123