TRNC Police: Filo Jet captain put to sea while the port was closed and bought his licence in Honduras

Taşucu Port in Turkey was closed due to the storm until 15:00, but the captain of the Filo Jet catamaran set sail on his own initiative. The TRNC police made the statement during a court hearing in the case concerning the vessel’s sinking off Kyrenia.

According to testimony given in court, the captain’s certificate obtained in Turkey became invalid after a ten-year break from work. He obtained a new licence in Honduras for approximately $3,500, registered it in Greece and had it approved in the TRNC.

The second captain, identified in the case as M. N. S., told the court that the port was closed until 15:00 because of the storm and that he had urged the captain not to put to sea.

According to the police assessment, the vessel set sail in a damaged condition: it had previously sustained breaches, while engine and steering malfunctions had been recorded before the sinking. The catamaran also lacked two international certificates — for radio safety and stability. The investigation believes that, after discovering the leak, the captain could have reduced speed and returned to port at low speed.

Nine people remain in custody: the company director, the captain, the second captain, the chief and second engineers, and four crew members. Their detention has been extended for another eight days, with the charges relating to causing death by negligence. The Filo Jet catamaran capsized off the coast of Kyrenia on 30 August; according to the police, eight people died, and autopsies showed that the cause of death was drowning. A six-year-old child remains in hospital.