Dane Sea Lines on the Verge of Bankruptcy

After years of economic problems, it appears that the ferry operator for the Dodekanissos islands, Dane Sea Lines, is about sink into the realm of memory. Citizens of the island, however, continue to fight for some assistance that would allow the company to continue running. In the meantime, they blame the ferry line’s major shareholder, Anek Lines of Crete for its demise.

A recent article in one of the islands’ main newspapers says that Anek has had nothing to propose for Dane’s survival and that is simply leaving it to die a silent death. Regional authorities have written to both the merchant marine minister and the prime minister in a last ditch effort to save the company.

Recently, Dane’s Patmos ferry was held by the Rodos tax office as the ferry line owes some 3.5 million euros for passenger taxes. As well, two of the company’s board members resigned in protest against the way the company has been run over the past few years. They said the company’s main stockholder had failed to come up specific plans to help bring Dane out of its present problems and that the company’s management had taken wrong decisions over the past couple of years, which were responsible for placing the ferry company in its present state. They also mentioned that two of the company’s vessels, Rodos and Patmos, remained tied up for months waiting for repairs.