Crew locked passengers in as Kyrenia ferry sank, survivors allege

Passengers on the ferry that sank off the coast of Kyrenia on Sunday say the crew locked the doors to the passenger cabin as the vessel began to fill with water, preventing escape and leaving those on board to fend for themselves. The ferry, which had departed from Cyprus and was bound for Turkey, went down shortly after leaving the new port of Kyrenia, with survivors and local rescuers accusing the captain and his crew of abandoning passengers at the height of the crisis.

The incident has drawn sharp scrutiny from Turkish and Cypriot authorities, particularly as all eight crew members, including the captain, Mustafa Oz, were arrested on Sunday and remain in custody following a court appearance on Thursday. Police in court alleged that Oz was operating with a Honduran captain's license purchased for $3,500 after his original Turkish license had expired, and that he chose to set sail despite the Turkish port of Tasucu being officially closed due to storms.

“There was a noise from the front. Then, they came to calm us down. Soon after, the inside of the boat began to fill with water. No one was helping. They locked the doors. The captain and his first mate jumped off the boat,” said Burak Arif Kaya, a 23-year-old dental student who survived the ordeal, speaking to Tak news agency. Kaya’s account is echoed by other survivors who described a scene of chaos and abandonment as the ferry began to sink.

Maritime tradition holds that the captain is the last to leave a sinking vessel, but local tour boat operator Mustafa Koc, who was among those attempting to rescue passengers, told Turkish broadcaster NTV that Oz was the first to abandon ship. “The captain of the boat got off first. I had the captain on board my boat. I took him. I also had the first mate,” Koc said. Koc’s testimony aligns with reports from passengers who insist that the crew prioritized their own safety over that of those they were charged to protect.

Burak Can Keskin, 22, another survivor, recounted that after the ship set sail, it stopped and then sank. “We broke the window and got out. Otherwise, we would not have been able to. There were a lot of waves. Even someone who knew how to swim could have drowned. Everyone was in trouble,” Keskin said. His father, Cem Keskin, described receiving a phone call from his son as the boat was sinking, followed by hours of uncertainty before learning that his son had survived and made it to shore.

According to police statements in court, Oz had been out of the maritime industry for a decade before acquiring a Honduran license through intermediaries in Greece. His decision to set sail at midday came despite official closure of the Tasucu port, which was slated to remain closed until 3pm due to severe weather. Police allege Oz ignored these restrictions and passenger concerns, which survivors later relayed to Turkish opposition New Party leader Ali Mahir Basarir during hospital visits.

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Basarir said that every survivor he spoke with confirmed that passengers had pleaded with Oz to return to port, but he refused. “During our hospital visits, the survivors said, ‘we begged the captain to return, but he did not listen to us’. Every survivor we met said that. There are allegations about inadequacies regarding the ferry, the technical team, the captain, the staff, all of them. We will follow this matter. We will follow this event with a delegation,” Basarir said.

The ferry began taking on water almost immediately after leaving Kyrenia port, according to multiple survivor accounts. Passengers noticed the problem as they boarded, and Kaya recalled that when they raised concerns, Oz dismissed them, saying, “how many years have I been a captain? I know this job better than you.” As the situation worsened, passengers found themselves locked inside, with no assistance from crew members, forcing some to break windows to escape.

In the chaos, Kaya and two friends managed to pull an eight-month pregnant woman and three children from the sinking vessel. The lack of organized help from the crew, combined with rough seas, left many passengers struggling for survival in the water. The actions of the crew, particularly the decision to lock doors and abandon ship early, have become the focus of both criminal investigations and public outrage.

The eight crew members, including Oz and his first mate, were detained by authorities on Sunday and subsequently appeared in court. They remain in custody as investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the sinking, the validity of Oz’s license, and the decision to ignore port closures. Police have cited Oz’s decade-long absence from maritime work and his acquisition of a foreign license as key elements in their inquiry.

The Turkish port of Tasucu, the ferry’s planned destination, had been closed due to storms, with authorities ordering it to remain shut until the afternoon. Despite this, police allege that Oz set sail at midday, disregarding both official guidance and the worsening weather. Survivors’ testimonies, as conveyed to Basarir and local media, consistently describe a lack of preparation and a failure to follow safety protocols by both captain and crew.

Eight crew members, including captain Mustafa Oz, were arrested on Sunday and remain in custody. Oz was operating with a fraudulently obtained Honduran captain's license purchased for $3,500 after his Turkish license expired. He proceeded to sail despite the Turkish port of Tasucu being officially closed due to storms. Authorities are investigating the crew's actions during the disaster, the licensing failures that enabled Oz's command, and regulatory gaps in ferry operations between Cyprus and Turkey.