Greece’s shipping minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis has resigned following a controversy over his comments about the death last Tuesday of the 36-year-old man Antonis Kargiotis who had fallen into the sea after an altercation with the crew members of the passenger ferry, “Blue Horizon”.

The resignation of Mr. Varvitsiotis comes in the wake of the death of Antonis Kargiotis who was pushed back by crew members of the ship he was trying to board.

At the same time, the former Minister of Shipping Varvitsiotis caused a storm of reactions with his statements after the incident.

However, in the afternoon of the same day the Minister clarified that “it is inconceivable that some people try to exploit the event politically and accuse me of trying to equate the victim with the perpetrators.”

Opposition parties demanded his resignation despite the fact that the minister tried to clarify that he meant something different from what everyone understood. Ultimately, he issued an apology.

“A statement of mine that was easily misinterpreted caused indignation. I immediately apologized sincerely,” the former minister said today.

As announced by government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, Christos Stylianidis is taking his place.

Mr. Marinakis explained that regarding the choice of Christos Stylianidis as the new Minister of Shipping, “we are talking about a man with government experience. He is a minister with European experience and a politician with operational experience.”

Varvitsiotis’s decision to step down was “unavoidable and correct”, Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis commented drily.

His resignation from the position of Minister of Shipping was submitted to the Prime Minister by Miltiadis Varvitsiotis.

Miltiadis Varvitsiotis made the news of his resignation known through an official statement.

Referring to the reactions of his statement, for which he had apologized, Mr. Varvitsiotis emphasizes among other things: “In no way did I equate the victim with the perpetrators. In no way have I washed away the responsibilities of the ship-owning company, which it still refuses to assume. I have been in politics all these years because I have a deep feeling of contribution to society and the country.”

The former minister added: “I spoke with Antonis’ family and conveyed our sympathy to them in their pain. I promised them that Anthony would not be forgotten and that I would do everything possible to honor his memory by doing justice to the extent that I deserve.”

The tragedy occurred in port of Piraeus, Greece, on Tuesday night when the young man, who arrived late, tried to enter the departing passenger ferry, “Blue Horizon” that was on the Piraeus-Heraklion (Crete) route, and lost his life after an altercation with the crew members.

The lawyer of the family of the 36-year-old man Mr. Apostolos Lytras said in the Greek tv Mega and to the journalist Nikos Evangelatos “that these things are unthinkable. He was a peaceful man and they really beat him up and threw him into the sea.”

The incident caused widespread outcry in the Greek public and media.