Wreckage recovery to begin off Cape Greco after fatal boat incident
Specialist crews will recover debris from the PETSAS I and PERLA BIANCA as separate police and marine safety investigations continue.
Nicosia, Cyprus. Crews are due to begin recovering wreckage from the PETSAS I and PERLA BIANCA off Cape Greco following the deaths of those on board, including businessman Dimis Mavropoulos. The operation will cover the shoreline, sea surface and seabed.
Recovery operation
Part of the bay between Agioi Anargyroi and Konnos in Cape Greco has been cordoned off. The Deputy Ministry of Shipping has hired a specialist private company to collect, raise, remove and transport all wreckage and debris from the two destroyed boats.
The operation, announced on Tuesday, aims to fully restore and clean up the area. A NAVTEX notice issued by the JRCC to mariners will remain in force until the work is completed.
Parallel investigations
Two investigations are under way separately from the recovery operation. Police and the Deputy Ministry of Shipping are conducting one probe, while the Committee for the Investigation of Marine Accidents and Incidents is leading the other.
Police said their investigation into the circumstances of Mavropoulos’s death at the age of 76 is at an advanced stage. Officers have taken a statement from his 57-year-old partner, who was discharged from hospital on Monday.
Investigators are awaiting information from other services and histopathological results from samples taken from the body before forwarding the case file to the Law Office.
Marine safety inquiry
The Committee’s investigation will focus solely on the PETSAS I, the coastal passenger boat that sank first and from which one person was rescued.
The inquiry will not assign criminal or disciplinary responsibility. It will examine maritime safety issues through statements, evidence, documents and photographs concerning the boat and the circumstances of the accident.
Its findings are intended to support improvements in maritime safety. Under legislation, the report must be completed within one year and submitted to the Transport Minister, the European Commission and the International Maritime Organization.
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