Efforts continue to recover the body of the Turkish businessman that remains on the seabed for the 23rd day. Turkish media report that the crew of the ship that rammed the vessel of Halit Yukay, had realized the collision from the first moment, but did nothing to help the 43-year-old.
“What happened? This ship collides with the yacht. It tears it in two. Pieces of the yacht are thrown into the sea. The entire crew feels the vibration. Everyone runs and searches to see what’s happening. They see these pieces on the surface of the sea and then continue their course as if nothing had happened,” said Hurriyet’s news director, according to Mega.
What crew members testified
In their testimonies, crew members admit that not only did they see the vessel’s debris floating in the sea, but they also filmed it with their mobile phones. And as if that wasn’t enough, on the captain’s orders, they normally continued their route, abandoning the 43-year-old businessman.
“They said they would have a barbecue around 4:00 p.m. Our barbecue was on the right stern. I lit a fire with chopped wood. The chef brought the materials. I saw pieces of the boat floating on the right side. The entire crew came up to the deck. Around 5:20 p.m., after the ship maneuvered to the right, it continued its course. I saw a life preserver on the sea surface but didn’t report it anywhere because I thought the captain would notify,” a crew member stated.
“We were preparing dinner. As I went down to leave the grilled chicken and get the raw meat, a vibration was heard on the ship. When I came up, I saw pieces floating on the sea surface. They looked like boat pieces. I videotaped the boat pieces with my mobile phone. The ship maneuvered around the floating boat pieces. Then we continued our course. The chief officer was with me while I was filming, so I didn’t report it to anyone else,” said another crew member.
“This is a crime”
Nikos Spanos, retired Coast Guard admiral and international expert, told Live News: “First of all, this is a crime. When the crew reports that they saw debris in the sea, and possibly it was from a collision they felt, but they didn’t report it, this alone constitutes a criminal maritime accident.”
“Now, regarding possible causes, I see one, there is certainly human error. The captain was not on the bridge, as I understand, he was at the barbecue. On the ship’s bridge there was probably a crew member, namely a navigation officer, along with a sailor, who didn’t have proper surveillance and proper vigilance that certainly concerns the international safe management code so they could see ahead,” he added.
Nikos Spanos also said: “When you feel the collision, you stop, you throw a boat, the person could have been alive, could have been injured, could have been trapped inside debris that took time to sink.”
