The ship's owner, Ismail, left Egypt and has been staying in London, where he could not be reached for comment. He has steadfastly insisted that he and his company are innocent of any wrongdoing.
In a full-page advertisement earlier this month in al Ahram, the semi-official Egyptian newspaper, he said a British insurer had concluded that the ship was fitted with all necessary safety equipment.
Hesham Kassem, a human rights worker and opposition leader, said that in spite of the report, he had little hope that those responsible would be held accountable. He questioned the government's allowing Ismail to leave Egypt before asking Parliament to lift his parliamentary immunity so he could be questioned.
Kassem said he doubted anyone would be prosecuted because, he noted, the prosecutor was appointed by the president.
"I wouldn't dare to call it a step toward accountability," Kassem said of the report. "The minimum is, something like this should come out. We have seen many cases like this that should have been prosecuted properly, and they are shelved."
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