ATHENS, Greece–Greece's coastguard on Friday said it was ending a search for 12 sailors missing on a cargo ship that sank last weekend in gale-force winds in the Aegean Sea.

The Comoros-flagged Raptor was sailing from Alexandria, Egypt to Istanbul with a crew of 11 Egyptians including the captain, two Syrians and an Indian national, the coastguard said this week.

It sank on Sunday near the Aegean island of Lesbos. One crew member, a 27-year-old Egyptian oiler, survived by clinging onto a barrel, and was picked up by a navy helicopter.

"The search stopped this morning," a coastguard spokeswoman told AFP Friday, adding that the cargo ship lay at a depth of 300 metres (984 feet).

A Greek navy frigate had searched the waters near Lesbos for days, assisted by nearby cargo ships, helicopters and a coastguard patrol vessel.

Only one body, that of a 30-year-old Egyptian sailor, was recovered.

The sole survivor is expected to return to Egypt on Friday, the coastguard said.

Media reports said the Raptor officially carried 6,000 tonnes of salt, but the captain's delay in calling for help has led to speculation that it may have been involved in smuggling.

The survivor told authorities that the 39-year-old vessel had been taking on water during the night, but the captain only alerted the coastguard in the morning.

Coastguard spokesman Nikos Alexiou said the ship should have alerted rescue authorities earlier.

"There was engine failure that was not reported, and the survivor told us (the ship) had taken on water," Alexiou told state broadcaster ERT this week.

"According to the survivor, this had happened during the night," Alexiou said.

According to the authorities, the ship first reported a mechanical failure at 7:00 am local time.

At 8:20 am, the captain reported that the ship was listing and activated the "mayday" distress signal before disappearing from the radar.