Ustel and Yilmaz discuss next steps in Kyrenia ferry salvage operation

Ankara, Turkey. Turkish Cypriot “prime minister” Unal Ustel and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz discussed the next steps in the salvage operation for a passenger ferry that sank off Kyrenia last week.

They also reviewed developments in the ongoing investigations into the disaster, according to Ustel’s office.

Salvage operation

The meeting was attended by Turkish Cypriot “deputy prime minister” Fikri Ataoglu, Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler, Turkish naval commander Ercument Tatlioglu and others.

Ustel’s office said the meeting with Yilmaz, his final high-level meeting of the day, focused on assessing technical capabilities and additional steps to recover the wreck.

“The government’s top priority is to reach our missing people as soon as possible. Work is continuing resolutely in cooperation with Turkey to strengthen existing capabilities and activate any additional capacity needed,” Ustel said.

Meetings in Turkey

Earlier on Tuesday, Ustel met Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek and Turkish military general staff chief Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.

Before travelling to Ankara, he had been in Istanbul, where he met representatives of what he described as specialised organisations experienced in deep-sea wreck searches and ship salvage operations.

“We will jointly evaluate the steps which can be taken to reach our missing loved ones, to continue the work inside the ship, or to salvage the wreck,” he said. The results of those meetings have not been made public.

Investigation and rescue efforts

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that nine ships and 11 aircraft were taking part in efforts to recover the bodies of 14 people who remain unaccounted for.

He said an investigation had been launched by north Cyprus authorities and that eight crew members, including the captain, had been taken into custody. The judicial process was being closely monitored by Turkish official institutions, he said.

The ferry capsized shortly after leaving Kyrenia’s new port for the Turkish port of Tasucu on August 30, carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members.

Fourteen people have been confirmed dead, while another 14 remain missing. One person remains in hospital following the accident.

All eight crew members were arrested on the day of the disaster and remain in custody. They last appeared in court on Thursday last week.