Claims of locked exits, missing certificates and known mechanical faults have turned grief into public fury.
The tragedy in the occupied areas has sparked relentless questions, anger and despair.
Last Sunday, 267 people departed from Kyrenia port for Tasucu in Turkey’s Mersin province. They never reached their destination.
For the past week, the families of those still missing have remained outside the port gate day and night, waiting desperately for news of their loved ones.
Shortly after setting sail, the Filo Jet catamaran sank off the coast of Kyrenia. By Friday evening, the confirmed toll stood at 12 dead and 16 missing.
The search for those still unaccounted for continues, with the anguish of their relatives growing as each day passes.
For the past week, the families of the missing have remained outside the port gate day and night, desperately awaiting news of their loved ones.
The stories and testimony now emerging have brought immense grief and anger while raising serious questions about the failures and gaps that may have led to the disaster.
Public outrage in the occupied areas has been enormous.
According to witness accounts, water began entering the vessel, and passengers alerted the crew. The crew reportedly told them that what was happening was normal.
Survivors say passengers were largely left to fight for their lives on their own. They have also alleged that exit doors were locked, that there were not enough life jackets, and that the captain was the first person to abandon the ship.
Gaps in safety measures
The tragedy has exposed serious gaps in regulatory inspections in the most devastating way and opened a wider discussion about political responsibility.
Investigators are examining the conditions under which the vessel was allowed to depart, the captain’s license, the ship’s certificates, possible shortcomings in its technical condition, and the response of those responsible as the vessel went down.
Serious allegations were also heard Thursday at the Kyrenia “district court,” which extended the “detention” of nine suspects for another eight days.
According to evidence presented in “court,” Tasucu port was closed Sunday because of rough seas, and the decision to set sail was taken on the captain’s own initiative.
It was also alleged that the vessel already had problems with its engine and rudder and had taken on water on an earlier occasion.
Two certificates were missing
Two significant details presented in “court” were that the vessel did not have a Radio Safety Certificate or a Ballast Certificate.
According to the Turkish press, the Filo Jet held a classification certificate valid until March 2029. Reuters also reported that, according to the Turkish Cypriot authorities, the vessel had a valid seaworthiness certificate.
The ship, originally named Iris Jet, was built in 2000. In 2003, it was involved in another accident when it struck a quay while maneuvering in a port.
Foreign media have also reported that an Istanbul court ruling issued in 2024 referred to 29 defects and regulatory violations identified during inspections in 2018. It remains unclear how many of those problems had been corrected by 2026.
Captain’s Turkish license had expired
Another notable allegation is that the captain’s Turkish license was no longer valid because he had stopped working in the profession for 10 years.
According to evidence presented in “court,” the captain obtained a master’s certificate from Honduras for approximately $3,500. That certificate was subsequently registered in Greece and went through a recognition process in the occupied areas.
The “Ports Department,” however, rejected those claims. In a statement, it said the captain’s certificate remained valid until 2029.
Nine people in “custody”
Nine people have been placed in “custody” on suspicion of causing death through negligence.
They are the director of the company that owns the vessel, the captain, the first officer, two engineers, and four crew members.
According to evidence presented in “court,” the first officer said Tasucu port was expected to remain closed until 3 p.m. and that he had advised the captain not to set sail.
It was also stated that both the captain and first officer acknowledged during questioning that they knew about the vessel’s faults before departure.
Citing those statements and survivor testimony that the ship had been taking on water, the “police” told the “court” that the vessel had left port while already damaged.
Political ‘earthquake’ in the occupied areas
The deadly sinking of the Filo Jet, along with revelations about the circumstances of its departure, the condition of the vessel, and the responsibilities of the relevant authorities, has done more than anger the public.
It has also triggered a political earthquake in the occupied areas, with parties directing fierce criticism at the “government.”
Three days after the tragedy, “transport minister” Erhan Arikli was removed from his position by “prime minister” Unal Ustel.
The move sparked a new political crisis after Arikli announced that the Rebirth Party, which he leads, would withdraw from the “government.”
Üstel maintained that the decision was not directed personally against Arikli and stressed that the presumption of innocence still applied.
The removal of one “minister,” however, did not end the debate.
Mehmet Kale Kiso, secretary-general of the Republican Turkish Party, or CTP—the party of Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman—said blaming a single “minister” would be the easy solution.
He argued that the disaster reflected a wider failure of the system and that political responsibility rested with the entire “government.” He also described the tragedy as the result of a very serious chain of failures.
CTP leader Sıla Usar İncirli took a similar position, saying the “government” could not free itself of responsibility simply by dismissing one “minister.”
Zeki Celer, leader of the Communal Democracy Party, or TDP, strongly criticized the “government” and called for its resignation.
Former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci linked the shipwreck directly to the unresolved Cyprus problem.
“If we had managed to reach a solution in Cyprus within the framework of EU and international law, would this disaster have happened?” he asked.
“If we were part of the EU, would this ship have been allowed to sail?”
Seven days after the shipwreck, the families of the missing are still waiting to hear anything about their loved ones.
Beyond its tragic human toll, the disaster has opened a series of critical questions and touched on some of the most sensitive issues facing the Turkish Cypriot community.
