The master of a Cotunav ro-pax that slammed into a boxship last year was talking on the phone away from radar screens at the time, a joint probe has claimed.

The 17,900-gt Tunisian-owned Ulysse (built 1997) hit Cyprus Sea Lines' (CSL) anchored 5,018-teu CSL Virginia (built 2005) off Corsica in October.

An investigation by Tunisia, Cyprus and France found the accident was caused by human error, with faults on both sides, AFP said.