Greece hauls abandoned, half-sunken ships out of the sea

The hulking remains of a cargo ship rise up through the water, listing to one side with a rusting hull exposed, its glory days of sailing the world's seas and oceans long gone.

This is just one of dozens of abandoned cargo and passenger ships that lie semi-submerged or completely sunken in and near the Gulf of Elefsina, an industrial area of shipyards and factories near the port of Piraeus.

Now Greek authorities have started removing the ships, some of which have been there for decades, saying they are both an environmental hazard and a danger to modern shipping. "We are speaking about 27 wrecks and potentially... 12 harmful and dangerous ships," said Haralampos Gargaretas, CEO of Elefsina Port Authority.

From the port of Piraeus to the island of Salamina that lies off of Elefsina, the sea is littered with 52 such shipwrecks, said Dimosthenis Bakopoulos,...