Police in northern Cyprus have told the Kyrenia District Court that the voyage data recorder (VDR) of the high-speed ferry Filo Jet contains no recordings from August 30, the day the vessel sank off Kyrenia.
Police Assistant Superintendent Mehmet Mannaş presented the findings at the twelfth hearing in the investigation on Friday, November 13.
He said the examination and decoding of the recorder had been completed and that it had also failed to record at other times. Experts are preparing a report on the 57 days of recordings that were reviewed.
At a hearing on October 9, police had said the recorder stopped recording on August 28.
The court extended the police detention of all nine suspects by a further seven days over objections from defence lawyers. The suspects are a company director, two captains, two engineers and four other crewmembers, and they include the vessel's captain and deputy.
The investigation concerns causing death through negligence and carelessness.
The court also instructed police to obtain the ferry's safety management system manual and muster list. It said the documents would establish the duties, authority and responsibilities of those detained or wanted, as well as the allocation of duties during emergencies.
Filo Jet, owned by Filo Denizcilik, had departed Kyrenia for Taşucu in Turkey with 259 passengers and eight crewmembers. She took on water through her bow and sank while attempting to return to port. 27 bodies have been recovered, and the search for one missing person continues.