Captain arrested for docking in the north

A boat captain has been arrested in Limassol after Republic of Cyprus authorities recorded his commercial ship docking in Famagusta port in the north.

According to police, a 51-year-old foreign national was detained in the early morning hours on Tuesday accused of docking his commercial boat in the north and then sailing away from a non-recognised port of entry.

Media sources said the ship was sailing under a Belize flag whille the captain was described as a Syrian national. Back in January, the boat in question was recorded by a monitoring system in the Republic of Cyprus when the ship docked in Famagusta port for two days. Although the port in Famagusta operates under Turkish Cypriot authorities, it is considered a “closed port” by the Republic of Cyprus and violators are fined for illegally docking their ships in the north. 

The boat and captain arrived in Limassol and set anchor Monday evening, with police rushing to arrest the captain in early morning hours. The Limassol District Court fined the captain €1800 which was due immediately on Tuesday. Initial charges according to earlier reports were related to illegal entry and use of a non-recognised port in the Republic of Cyprus. 

Detaining and fining the captain took place very quickly on the same day, saving money for the state while in the past similar procedures tended to cost a lot more money due to red tape delays.