Owner of Egyptian Ferry Sentenced

More than 1,000 people died in Red Sea Accident

An Egyptian court sentenced Mamdouh Ismail, the board chairman of the Al-Salam Company for Navigation Transportation, to seven years in prison for manslaughter and negligence. The Ismail’s ferry, Al-Salam 98, was transporting approximately 1,400 passengers from the Saudi port of Dhaba to the Egyptian port of Safaga when it caught fire and sank into the Red Sea in February, 2006. The official estimate has put the number of deaths at 1,034.

The sentencing of Ismail to jail, which was done in absentia, overturns a previous acquittal that outraged the nation. In an earlier trial in July 2008, the Misdemeanor Court of Safaga acquitted five of the six defendants of the maritime disaster, including Ismail, Mamdouh Orabi, the company’s fleet director, and Nabil Shalabi, director of the company’s branch in Safaga.

Ismail, who is now in Britain, was accused of not informing Egyptian authorities for many hours after being informed of the situation, which he denies. However, he was also accused of serious safety violations, including dilapidated fire extinguishers and lift rafts and not enough winches to lower the life rafts. Additionally, the ship had forged safety certificates.

Salah Gomaa, the captain of another ferry boat that refused to respond to the accident, was sentenced to 6 months in jail and fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,887).

Ismail and his family were allowed to travel aboard after he paid nearly $57 million into a compensation fund for the victims. This outraged Egyptians who believed the wealthy business man was being protected by his political connections.