Court hears authorities were not told of repairs to ferry before it sank off Kyrenia

Kyrenia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot authorities were not informed about repairs to a crack on the left side of a ferry that later sank off Kyrenia, a district court heard on Friday. Proceedings continued against nine people accused of causing death by negligence in the sinking.

Repairs examined

According to Yeniduzen, Friday’s hearing focused on a crack that appeared nearly two months before the ferry sank on August 30. A police officer told the court last week that photographs recovered from the first mate’s mobile phone showed repairs were carried out on June 17.

The court heard that the ferry’s captain, Mustafa Oz, and its crew carried out the repairs at a port in Cyprus. Neither Oz nor the operating company, Filo Denizcilik, informed the Turkish Cypriot authorities, although they were obliged to do so.

The repairs took place 15 days after Istanbul-based ship classification firm Turk Loydu certified the ferry as seaworthy. The certificate states that it is valid until 2029, but the firm’s online database lists it as “invalid”. It is unclear whether its status changed before or after the sinking.

The Cyprus Mail has contacted Turk Loydu. Turkish Cypriot police said two weeks ago that they were awaiting a response from the firm about the procedures followed during its examination of the ferry.

Suspects remain in custody

All nine suspects—Oz, seven crew members and a director of Filo Denizcilik—are accused of causing death by negligence. Fifteen people have been confirmed dead, while 13 remained unaccounted for 26 days after the sinking.

At the end of Friday’s proceedings, the court ordered all nine to remain in custody for another seven days. They are due to appear in court again on October 2.

Outside the court, dozens of relatives of the dead and missing gathered with photographs of their loved ones and placards calling those they hold responsible “murderers”. Dilek Ozbilen, whose mother Nuray Zeytun died in the sinking, said the families were still waiting for news of missing loved ones and were waiting outside the port for their children, siblings, spouses and parents.