MS Express Samina, Shipwreck near Paros, Greece

The MS Express Samina was a RoPax ferry built in 1966 at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, and renamed Express Samina in 1999 under Minoan Flying Dolphins. Its white hull carried a blue stripe and the names "EXPRESS SAMINA" and "HELLAS Ferries"; the ship had 256 cabins and two Pielstick diesel engines producing 10,945 kW. It struck the Portes islets off Parikia, Paros, on 26 September 2000 and sank within about 50 minutes.

The vessel was built in 1966 in France and operated under different names before joining the Minoan fleet in 1999. A navigation and operational failure led to its sinking near Paros in 2000.

The ship's name comes from Samina, the ancient name of the Greek island of Samos, one of its regular ports on the Piraeus–Paros–Ikaria–Samos–Fournoi route. After the sinking, Greek law lowered the retirement age for ferries from 35 to 30 years and made voyage recorders mandatory on passenger ferries.

The wreck lies off the Portes islets in the Bay of Parikia, about 2 nautical miles from Parikia harbour on Paros, at a depth of roughly 38 metres. The site is a dive for experienced, properly trained divers only; check local sea conditions before descending. The ship broke apart on impact and sank within about 50 minutes, so the wreck is not a swim-through for casual visitors.

The ferry was built in 1966 as MS Corse and had been renamed several times before becoming Express Samina in 1999. It was due to reach 35 years of age on 31 December 2001, the legal retirement limit at the time. The sinking led Greece to lower ferry retirement from 35 to 30 years and to require voyage recorders, the equivalent of black boxes, on passenger ferries.