Ustel, Yilmaz discuss ‘next steps’ of Kyrenia ferry disaster salvage operation

Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz on Tuesday discussed the “next steps” to be taken regarding the salvage operation of the passenger ferry that sank off the coast of Kyrenia last week. According to Ustel’s office, the pair also discussed “the latest developments in the ongoing investigations” into the disaster, with the meeting also attended by Turkish Cypriot ‘deputy prime minister’ Fikri Ataoglu, Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler, Turkish naval commander Ercument Tatlioglu, and others. Earlier in the day, Ustel met Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek and the Turkish military’s general staff chief Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, with his office saying the meeting with Yilmaz, the final high-level meeting of the day, was to see attendees “assess the technical capabilities and new steps which can be taken 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,” he said. Related Articles • Erdogan says nine ships, 11 aircraft continuing search for Kyrenia ferry missing • Fourteenth body recovered from Kyrenia ferry wreck • Applications open for ferry victims’ families to claim support • There must be full investigations into Cyprus boat tragedies • Crew ‘locked doors of passenger cabin’ as Kyrenia ferry took on water • Kyrenia ferry captain ‘bought Honduran licence for $3,500’ On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said that a total of nine ships and 11 aircraft are participating in efforts to recover the bodies of the 14 people who remain unaccounted for after the ferry disaster. “Following the accident, an investigation was launched by the north Cyprus authorities, and eight crew members, including the ship’s captain, were taken into custody. The judicial process is being closely monitored by our official institutions,” he said. Prior to travelling to Ankara on Tuesday, Ustel had been in Istanbul, where he met leaders of what he described as “specialised organisations” which are “experienced in deep-sea wreck searching and ship salvage operations”. “We will jointly evaluate the steps which can be taken to reach our missing bed ones, to continue the work inside the ship, or to salvage the wreck,” he said. The results of those meetings have not yet been made public. Fourteen confirmed dead, fourteen more still missing The ferry capsized shortly after leaving the new port of Kyrenia en route to the Turkish port of Tasucu on August 30, with 259 passengers and eight crew members on board. In addition to the 14 people who are confirmed to have died and the 14 who remain missing, one person remains in hospital as a result of the accident. All eight members of the crew were arrested on the day of the disaster, and all eight remain in custody, having last appeared in court on Thursday last week. There, a police representative said that Oz had bought his Honduran captain’s licence for $3,500 after having made contact with “some people in Greece” after his original Turkish licence expired following a 10-year hiatus from the industry. Additionally, it was claimed that the Turkish port of Tasucu, the ferry’s planned destination, had been closed on Sunday following storms in the region, and was due to remain closed until 3pm that day, but that Oz decided to set sail “regardless” at midday.