Crews are set to begin recovering wreckage from the PETSAS I and PERLA BIANCA today off Cape Greco, in a difficult operation following the deaths of those on board, including businessman Dimis Mavropoulos.
Mavropoulos died on Saturday after the boat he was on ran aground on rocks amid severe sea turbulence off Cape Greco, during a storm that could make this August the rainiest in Cyprus since records began in 1902. He was recovered unconscious by helicopter and airlifted to Famagusta General Hospital, where his death was confirmed; he appears to have been trapped in the wreckage.
Part of the bay between Agioi Anargyroi and Konnos in Cape Greco has been cordoned off. The Deputy Ministry of Shipping has hired a specialist private company to collect, raise, remove and transport all wreckage and debris from the two destroyed boats. The operation, announced yesterday, will cover the shoreline, the sea surface and the seabed, aiming to fully restore and clean up the area. A NAVTEX notice issued by the JRCC to mariners will remain in effect until the operation is complete.
Two investigations are under way in parallel. Separately from the recovery operation, police are working with the Deputy Ministry of Shipping on one probe, while the Committee for the Investigation of Marine Accidents and Incidents leads the other.
Police’s investigation into the circumstances of Mavropoulos’s death, at age 76, is at an advanced stage. Officers have taken a statement from his 57-year-old partner, who was discharged from hospital on Monday. Investigators are now awaiting information from various other services. They are also awaiting histopathological results from samples taken from the body, before the case file can be forwarded to the Law Office.
The Committee’s investigation will focus solely on the PETSAS I, the coastal passenger boat that sank first and from which one person was rescued. This investigation will not assign criminal or disciplinary responsibility, but will instead examine maritime safety issues. It will involve taking statements and gathering evidence, documents and photographs relating to the boat and the circumstances of the accident.
The investigation aims to draw conclusions to improve maritime safety. Its findings will be set out in a report which, under legislation, must be completed within one year and submitted to the Transport Minister, the European Commission and the International Maritime Organization.
