Turkish Cypriot authorities were not informed about a crack on the left side of a ferry which went on to sink off the coast of Kyrenia, the Turkish Cypriot Kyrenia district court heard on Friday, as proceedings continued against the nine people accused of causing death by negligence in the vessel’s sinking.
According to newspaper Yeniduzen, the day’s hearing focused on the crack which appeared in the side of the boat almost two months before it sank on August 30, with a police telling the court last week that according to photographs recovered from the first mate’s mobile phone, the repairs were carried out on June 17.
Those repairs were done by the boat’s captain, Mustafa Oz, and its crew, with the court hearing on Friday that they were carried out at a port in Cyprus, but that the Turkish Cypriot authorities were not informed, despite Oz and its operating company, Filo Denizcilik, being obliged to inform them under such circumstances.
The repairs were carried out just 15 days after Istanbul-based ship classification firm Turk Loydu had certified the boat as seaworthy.
However, while the certificate issued by Turk Loydu states the certificate is valid until 2029, its online database states that the certificate is “invalid”. It is unclear whether the certificate was declared invalid before or after the ferry sank on August 30.
The Cyprus Mail has reached out to Turk Loydu, while the Turkish Cypriot police two weeks ago said they are awaiting a response from the firm regarding the procedures undertaken during the ferry’s examination.
All nine suspects are accused of causing death by negligence, with 15 people confirmed to have died and 13 more still unaccounted for, 26 days after the ferry sank.
At the end of the day’s proceedings, all nine – Oz, seven members of the crew, and one director of Filo Denizcilik – were ordered to remain in custody for a further seven days. They will next appear in court on October 2.
Families of dead and missing gather outside courthouse
Outside court, dozens of members of the families of the disaster’s dead and missing gathered, holding photographs of their loved ones and placards calling those they hold responsible for the accident “murderers”.
Dilek Ozbilen, whose mother Nuray Zeytun was among the dead, gave a speech, saying that “we are still waiting for news about our missing loved ones”, and that “while everyone is sleeping comfortably in their homes, we, the families, are waiting outside the port for our children, siblings, spouses, mothers and fathers”.
“We are not causing any disturbances here. We are not starting fights. We are just asking to be informed,” she said, before calling on the authorities to “reach all of our people who are still on board that boat”.
“You owe us this,” she added.
She went on to raise questions about whether there was an adequate number of life jackets on board the boat, and whether those life jackets were “properly fitted and equipped”, before asking, “was the evacuation carried out as it should have been?”.
“If the evacuation had been done correctly and on time, would we still be here today waiting for the bodies of our 13 loved ones, including a three-year-old baby?” she asked.
She then demanded more Filo Denizcilik officials and representatives of the Turkish Cypriot ports authority be brought before a court, before also raising the issue of the inspections carried out on the boat.
“Were we, the families, supposed to conduct those inspections? Did the crew have all the necessary documents? Were alcohol and drug tests conducted? If so, what were the results?” she asked.
Questions remain over captain’s Honduran licence
Her reference to the documents comes with the court previously hearing that Oz had bought his Honduran captain’s licence for $3,500.
A police representative told the court Oz had said under questioning that he had initially obtained a licence in Turkey, but that it had become invalid after he did not work as a boat captain for 10 years.
When he wished to resume his career, the representative said, Oz had made contact with “some people in Greece” and, using his old Turkish licence number, obtained a Honduran licence after paying $3,500.
The ferry capsized shortly after leaving the new port of Kyrenia en route to the Turkish port of Tasucu on August 30, with 259 passengers and eight crew members on board.
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