Greek witnesses yesterday testified from Piraeus by live video link to a court in Finland hearing the appeal of a Greek shipping firm over the foundering of a vessel off Finland in 1993 which caused an environmental disaster.

It was the first time that witnesses in Greece have participated in a trial taking place in another country using the teleconferencing method.

The witnesses were linked up to a court in Torgu, Finland, using a video screen and speakers installed in a Piraeus courtroom. From there they responded to questions from Finnish lawyers in real time.

The teleconference method, used regularly by international corporate executives, is permitted according to a European Union regulation encouraging “cooperation among member states in the judicial process of civil and commercial cases.”