Scuffles erupted at an Egyptian court...when five of six defendants were cleared of blame for a 2006 ferry sinking in which more than 1,000 people died, Egypt's worst maritime disaster. Hysterical relatives voiced anger as only Salaheddin Gomaa, captain of another ferry, the Saint Catherine, was jailed...for failing to come to the assistance of the Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 [owned by El Salam Maritime Transport] ...Key defendant Mamduh Ismail, who owned the 36-year-old Al-Salam ferry and is a member of parliament's upper house...was acquitted. In June 2006, Ismail was ordered to pay 330 million Egyptian pounds (57 million dollars) into a fund to compensate victims of the disaster...Also accused were Ismail's son and three Al-Salam executives...In 2006, a parliamentary commission of inquiry blamed Al-Salam for the disaster, saying the firm had continued to operate the ferry "despite serious defects" in the vessel...The passengers on the ferry were mostly Egyptian migrant workers...