Ferry captain told court he paid $3,500 for Honduran licence
Police told a Kyrenia court that ferry captain Mustafa Oz said he obtained a Honduran captain’s licence through contacts in Greece.
Kyrenia, Cyprus. Mustafa Oz, captain of the ferry that sank off the coast of Kyrenia, appeared before the Turkish Cypriot Kyrenia district court for a second time on Thursday.
Licence claims
A police representative told the court that Oz said during questioning that he had initially obtained a captain’s licence in Turkey.
The representative said the Turkish licence became invalid after Oz did not work as a boat captain for 10 years.
Honduran licence
When he sought to resume his career, Oz contacted “some people in Greece” and used his former Turkish licence number to obtain a Honduran licence after paying $3,500, the representative said.
The representative added that Oz subsequently received an accompanying document from the Turkish Cypriot authorities before operating the route between Kyrenia and the Turkish port of Tasucu.
Verification sought
The Cyprus Mail has contacted the Republic of Honduras’ directorate-general of merchant maritime to seek verification of the licence’s authenticity and is awaiting a response.
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