Edro III Shipwreck

The Edro III sits just off the rocks near the sea caves on the north-west coast of Paphos, at Peyia. It was a cargo ship, leaving Limassol for Rhodes on 8 October 2011.

The night it went aground

The vessel is 83 metres long, weighs around 2,300 to 2,500 tonnes and now lies at an angle of about 12 degrees near the sea caves. It was built in Norway in 1966 and registered at Freetown in Sierra Leone. On the voyage it stopped in Limassol and then continued towards Rhodes, but bad weather caused the accident — very strong winds and rough seas made it hard for the crew of nine to navigate, and the ship ran aground on the rocks. The cargo was plasterboard bound for Rhodes.

Removal of all diesel, hydrocarbons and marine pollutants aboard was completed in October 2013. Because of the danger involved, nobody is allowed on the ship.

Why people come

The wreck has become an attraction in its own right. There is a venue for events a few miles from the site with good views over it, daily tours run around the area, and you can perfectly well drive out yourself. The photographs at sunrise or sunset are the reason most people make the trip.

For divers

The dive starts near the wreck at depths of just five metres. Parts of the wreck are scattered on the seabed; the propellers are still attached and there is now a large hole on the starboard side — look inside and you can still see the forklifts that were aboard to handle the cargo. From the anchor, two reefs lead off: one to a large sea cave, the other to a gully at 18 metres. Marine life shelters around the hull — dusky grouper, salema, sea urchins and sand smelt.