Dodekanisos Express ferry stranded in Tilos over crew working hours

The Dodekanisos Express ferry was prevented from departing the port of Tilos on Wednesday night after a Coast Guard inspection revealed that the crew had exceeded permitted working hours. The inspection followed a complaint from a seafarers' union and determined that the labor limit violations applied to the entire crew rather than just the captain.

The incident caused significant disruption for passengers, who remained stranded in Tilos awaiting instructions. While Dodekanisos Seaways initially announced a revised late-night schedule involving stops in Halki and Symi before reaching Rhodes, the local Coast Guard ultimately rescheduled the departure for 08:40 on Thursday morning.

Dodekanisos Seaways criticized the decision, describing the Coast Guard's action as an ‘unexplained and vindictive intervention’. The company noted that despite being informed of the issue earlier, the vessel was unable to proceed as planned until the regulatory concerns were addressed.