Pernera jet ski crash puts 18 years of Cyprus sea accidents under scrutiny

Local accidentTop News Pernera jet ski crash puts 18 years of Cyprus sea accidents under scrutiny Naftika Atihimata 1024x540 Relevant News Pernera jet ski crash puts 18 years of Cyprus sea accidents under scrutiny 23 August 2026 ELAM calls for cancellation of Zamna festival and Barcelona academy camp in occupied Nicosia 23 August 2026 Missing 16-year-old found safe in Avakas Gorge after night search 23 August 2026 Fanis Makrides 23 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber A serious jet ski crash in Pernera on 15 August, which left a 48-year-old father and his seven-year-old daughter badly injured, has renewed scrutiny of accidents involving recreational craft and personal watercraft in Cyprus waters. The figures underline the need for continued prevention efforts. Between 2008 and 2025, the available figures cited by Phileleftheros record 13 deaths and three people missing in Cyprus waters in incidents linked to recreational activities at sea. That amounts to almost one life lost or person missing for every year of the 18 years. Serious injuries that change lives Those figures, covering accidents falling within the jurisdiction of the Marine Accidents and Incidents Investigation Section of the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, do not include serious injuries. One of the best-known cases is that of Rachel Hadjittofi, now 33 and from the Cypriot community in the UK. Hadjittofi was on holiday in Cyprus in August 2017 when she was critically injured and at risk of dying from severe bleeding. She was 24 at the time. A speedboat belonging to a Greek Cypriot businessman, who was later sentenced to prison, crossed the path of the towable inflatable on which she was riding. The boat’s propeller caused a severe laceration to her lower torso, leaving her with life-changing injuries and a long struggle to get back on her feet. Operator pretended to be a visitor before yacht collision A review of accidents over the past 18 years shows that experts repeatedly identified the human factor as a major issue, with carelessness or failures to follow regulations featuring in several cases. Investigators identified errors and omissions by vessel operators, failures by water sports businesses and other negligent practices. Cases involved unauthorised modifications to speedboats, inadequate safety measures, excessive speed, illegal activity, children being placed at risk and even explosions on board vessels. In one case on 21 July 2010, a personal watercraft collided with a yacht. An expert report found that “the operator pretended to be a visitor to rent the craft without holding an operator’s licence, while the water sports business failed to request identification from the prospective user of the craft”. Taken together, the cases reviewed by Phileleftheros point to the need for stronger efforts to prevent similar incidents. Legislation and a lack of data for recent years During previous and more recent reporting on the issue, officials who spoke to Phileleftheros pointed to gaps in the legislation. One issue raised was whether vessels towing inflatables or other objects should be required to have two crew members. An expert previously told the newspaper this should involve “one vessel operator and one observer for the person or people being towed, with agreed signals for communication with those being towed”. Officials also said speedboats account for 99% of recreational vessels in Cyprus and are required to travel at no more than three knots, about 5 km/h, within 100 metres of the coastline. They added that some serious accidents raised the question of whether speed limits should be imposed in areas used by swimmers and water sports, as well as at entrances and exits to ports, harbours and marinas. That does not mean there is no legislation in place. A Deputy Ministry of Shipping report covering dozens of accidents during an earlier decade recorded breaches of existing laws. The new legislation passed in 2026, which is not yet in force, is expected to strengthen the existing framework. However, the previous system was not entirely unregulated. A key finding from Phileleftheros’ renewed examination of the issue following the 15 August accident is that sufficient detailed information has not been published for the period since 2020. For the 12 years between 2008 and 2019, detailed information is available on the Deputy Ministry of Shipping’s website. A concise but detailed report prepared by a now-retired senior ship inspector, who headed the ministry’s Marine Accidents and Incidents Investigation Section, recorded all incidents investigated during that period. It included accidents falling within the Deputy Ministry’s jurisdiction as well as the findings of investigations and information on their causes. That level of detailed reporting appears to have ended. Last Wednesday, Phileleftheros contacted a senior Deputy Ministry official seeking figures for accidents and incidents investigated from 2020 to 2025. The official said there was no consolidated record and indicated that there had not been a large number of serious accidents during that period. Phileleftheros also attempted to contact several people at the Deputy Ministry of Shipping last Tuesday and Wednesday. Despite efforts by administrative staff to assist, officials in a position to comment on the issue were away on summer leave. The newspaper also examined the Deputy Ministry’s annual reports from 2020 to 2025. References to accidents were found to be general, while the most recent reports contained limited or no detailed information. The 2024 annual report, for example, refers to accidents from 2023. Phileleftheros’ research found that there were at least four accidents or incidents involving small craft in 2024, including a fire on a recreational boat at Ayia Napa marina on 16 June 2024. The 2025 report lists no accidents, despite a case involving a person who fell into the sea and remains missing. 11 dead and two missing by the end of 2019 A detailed report previously published on the Deputy Ministry of Shipping’s website records about 50 incidents between 2008 and 2019 that were investigated by its Marine Accidents and Incidents Investigation Section. The report recorded 11 deaths and two missing people over the 12 years. It also contained findings and recommendations, noting that “knowledge of them could raise awareness and contribute to preventing their recurrence”. Among the cases were: 2008 13 July – A person engaged in spearfishing was fatally struck by a boat in Akamas. 5 October – A diver was fatally injured by a speedboat. Investigators concluded that the operator failed to spot the diver because there was no diver warning flag at the north-eastern end of Konnos Bay. The report made six specific observations. 2010 16 March – A person died during bad weather outside Paphos harbour. A second person also died while attempting a rescue. Recommendations were made concerning the Police Aviation Unit, the Port and Marine Police, the Search and Rescue Coordination Centre and the harbour authorities. 10 April – A person died after two boats collided in darkness. Investigators cited, among other factors, a failure to anticipate that vessels could be moving behind a breakwater, inadequate visual and auditory lookout and failure to maintain a safe speed in a harbour area, unauthorised alterations to factory-fitted navigation lights and a failure to switch on all required lights. Most recommendations were directed at the then Department of Merchant Shipping, now the Deputy Ministry of Shipping. 2011 21 May – An athlete taking part in a sailing race died after being struck by the boom and falling into the sea. Recommendations to the Cyprus Sports Organisation and the Department of Merchant Shipping included practical safety measures such as lifejackets, a GPS device with a man-overboard function and a safety speedboat staffed by personnel trained in first aid. 2012 25 August – An amateur spearfisher using the appropriate marker died after suffering multiple injuries. One of the injuries was found to resemble a strike from the fin of an outboard motor in Paphos. 2013 14 January – An amateur fisherman went missing. His boat was found offshore in Limassol Bay. 13 October – A tourist swimmer was fatally injured after being struck by a public-use recreational craft towing an object. The accident occurred within 200 metres of the shore. The swimmer died from blood loss and had not suffered injuries to vital organs. Only the operator was on board the vessel. 2016 25 May – A tourist was fatally injured in Protaras beyond the swimming buoys. The victim suffered chest wounds measuring 20 centimetres across. Coastal passenger vessels had travelled through the same area at the time of the accident. 2017 24 July – One person died and another was left disabled after a vessel struck rocks in Akamas. Four other people were injured. The investigation referred to the “use of a vessel without a navigation licence” and its “use as a passenger vessel without a coastal passenger vessel safety certificate”. Among its recommendations, the investigation section called for authorities to “examine ways of supporting and assisting relatives of foreign nationals who die as a result of marine accidents on Cyprus-flagged vessels in Cyprus or abroad”. 22 September – An amateur fisherman went missing. His boat was found in Limassol Bay. 2018 18 July – A speedboat was swamped in the Xylofagou area, leaving one person dead. The victim was not wearing a lifejacket. A Deputy Ministry expert referred to a “gap in the training of speedboat operators”. Three deaths and one person missing between 2020 and 2025 With no consolidated official information available for accidents between 2020 and 2025, Phileleftheros searched published reports for incidents involving small craft during that period. The newspaper identified three deaths and one person who remains missing. 16 August 2020: Stelios, also known as Steven, Archontous, 40, from Sia, was fishing in the Oroklini sea area when he was fatally injured by the propeller of a speedboat. The vessel was seized and its 44-year-old operator was arrested the following day. 22 August 2020: A 55-year-old European citizen died in the sea off the Limassol Sailing Club. He had been a passenger on a rented jet ski. The 50-year-old operator was arrested as police investigated causing death by negligence. A Deputy Ministry of Shipping official who participated in the investigation found violations by the water sports business: the renter’s details had not been recorded and the required information declaration had not been completed. A post-mortem examination found that the 55-year-old died from drowning. The 50-year-old operator surrendered to police the following day. When questioned about leaving immediately after the incident, he reportedly said he had been shocked and frightened, having also fallen into the sea. 1 July 2023: Two privately owned jet skis operated by the parents of a six-year-old girl collided in the Lady’s Mile sea area in Limassol. The child suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and died. 22 April 2025: Polish tourist Piotr Mentel, 35, rented an inflatable boat from a water sports business in Latchi and set off alone on a sea trip. At about 4.30pm, the boat was found unmanned, with its engine running and the key still in the ignition, about 200 metres off the coast of Argaka. Cyprus Police still list Mentel as a missing person. The Protaras accident The accident that brought the issue of maritime safety back into public discussion occurred on 15 August in the Pernera area of Protaras. A 17-year-old Greek Cypriot girl was driving a jet ski with an 18-year-old passenger when it collided with a towable inflatable “sofa” being pulled by another motorised vessel. Five members of the same family were on the inflatable: two men aged 48 and 43 and three children aged 13, 11 and seven. The 48-year-old father of the seven-year-old suffered injuries including a broken pelvis, while his daughter suffered a skull fracture. The man was taken to Nicosia General Hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. His condition was described from the outset as extremely critical. The seven-year-old is being treated in a stable condition at Makarios Hospital. Police investigation Information obtained by Phileleftheros indicates that the 18-year-old did not hold an operator’s licence, a detail relevant to the investigation. The 17-year-old who was driving the jet ski when the collision occurred could have operated it legally only under specific conditions: she would have needed a learner operator’s permit and would have had to be accompanied by someone holding a full operator’s licence. The case is being investigated by Famagusta CID. According to information obtained by Phileleftheros, a ship inspector from the Deputy Ministry of Shipping’s Coastal Navigation Department met Famagusta CID investigators last Tuesday over the case. New legislation and its implementation The 15 August accident has prompted renewed discussion about legislation passed in February that has yet to come into force. Article 99 states that the law “comes into force on a date determined by decision of the Council of Ministers”. It also states that the Council of Ministers “may determine different commencement dates for different sections of this Law”. The provision was included to give the executive time to prepare for the gradual implementation of the legislative framework. Kyriakos Aliouris, head of the Integrated Maritime Ecosystem Directorate, said last Tuesday that the delay in implementing the legislation was linked to its “new provisions”, which “have many aspects that need to be worked through”. Speaking separately to Phileleftheros and journalist Natasa Christoforou about the new law, Aliouris said: “Anyone seeking a speedboat operator’s licence will have to complete a training programme. In other words, schools approved by the Deputy Ministry of Shipping will have to be established, with a specific theoretical and practical training programme.” He added: “The existing legislation regulates only speedboats, while the new legislation regulates all motorised recreational craft.” Investigation of marine accidents Since the Marine Accident and Incident Investigation Committee (EDNAS) began operating as an independent body in 2014, accidents are generally investigated by the committee. EDNAS is institutionally linked to the Transport Ministry, although it is considered independent, and prepares and publishes an annual report. The Deputy Ministry of Shipping’s Marine Accidents and Incidents Investigation Section primarily investigates accidents that fall outside the legislation governing EDNAS procedures. These mainly involve: Recreational craft, unless they carry more than 12 passengers Fishing vessels less than 15 metres long The Marine Accidents and Incidents Investigation Section has operated under the Deputy Ministry of Shipping since 2018. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News ELAM calls for cancellation of Zamna festival and Barcelona academy camp in occupied Nicosia Missing 16-year-old found safe in Avakas Gorge after night search Fire from charging phone causes extensive damage to child’s bedroom in Deryneia Two vehicles set on fire outside woman’s home in Limassol Partial lunar eclipse on 28 August to cover 93% of the Moon’s diameter Australia confirms first H5N1 bird flu case in local mammal Trump again labels Strait of Hormuz ‘new US territory’ as Iran warns sanctions supporters Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.