28.08.2025 21:54
The lifeless body of businessman Halit Yukay (43), who set sail from Yalova to Bozcaada, was found 19 days later at a depth of 68 meters, but it has not yet been recovered due to adverse weather conditions. Actor Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, who provided a statement as part of the investigation, recounted that during his last conversation with his close friend, he heard the sound of the wind after saying, "Everything is under control, don't worry."
Businessman Halit Yukay (43), whose boat, which set sail from Yalova to Bozcaada, was found broken and partially submerged, could not be retrieved for 19 days until his lifeless body was reached at a depth of 68 meters. The 'TCG Işın' ship, which came to the region for the recovery, could not start its operations due to strong winds and waves. While the Navy personnel, who were expected to start their operations due to adverse weather conditions, were conducting underwater imaging with an unmanned underwater vehicle (ROV), DHA reporter reached the statement of Yukay's actor friend Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, who was consulted in the investigation. Tatlıtuğ, the last person to speak with Yukay, said, "Everything is under control, don't worry," and then added, "I heard a voice that entered a heavy wind."
Businessman Halit Yukay set sail with his boat named 'Graywolf' from Yalova to Bozcaada at 15:10 on August 4. After Yukay was reported missing by his relatives, the Coast Guard teams were activated. While the teams started search operations, on August 5, around 14:30, a report was made that partially submerged boat parts were seen on the sea surface from a commercial ship sailing off the coast of Turanköy in the Kapıdağ Peninsula of Balıkesir. The Coast Guard Southern Marmara Group Command teams went to the given coordinates. A search and rescue operation was initiated with 1 helicopter, 1 diving team, and 7 floating units belonging to the Coast Guard Command. The diving team also dived to the partially submerged boat, but no results were obtained from the searches. In the examination of the teams, it was determined that the serial number of the broken boat's engine matched that of Halit Yukay's boat. Underwater images taken by the Coast Guard Southern Marmara Group Command teams showed that the boat was broken.
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION Halit Yukay, who has a yacht shipyard and company in Yalova, and works as an engineer and chief designer in yacht production, was also seen leaving Yalova for Bozcaada. In the footage, Yukay's boat is seen departing from the port, while an expert examination was initiated on the broken 'Graywolf' boat, which was pulled to Ekinlik Island and lifted ashore by crane, to determine the cause of the accident as part of the investigation conducted by the Marmara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
Cemal Tokatlıoğlu (61), the captain of the cargo ship 'Arel 7', which is alleged to have collided with Yukay's broken boat, was detained in Yalova on charges of 'causing death by negligence' and was released under judicial control with a travel ban. After the objection of the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, he was re-arrested in Istanbul.
SCRATCH MARKS IN FRONT OF THE SHIP Radar movements of the ship alleged to have collided with Halit Yukay's broken yacht have emerged, while the Coast Guard teams found scratch marks on the front of the cargo ship during their examination. The Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office scrutinized the ship traffic in the area and the route of 'Arel 7'. Two photographs showing the scratch marks on the ship were also included in the investigation file. In a photo taken a day before the accident in Çanakkale, no marks were seen on the front of the ship, while in a photo taken on August 5 in Izmit, where the ship was delivering its cargo, a distinct mark and impact on the front of 'Arel 7' drew attention.
Footage of the moments when the cargo ship 'Arel 7', which is considered to have collided with Yukay's boat, arrived at Izmit Port has also emerged. In the security camera footage, at around 04:00 on August 5, the captain Cemal Tokatlıoğlu and the crew are seen disembarking from the ship at 04:17, approaching the front of the ship, and then stopping at the bow and looking back at the ship. These images, along with the photographs of the ship with distinct scratch marks, were also included in the investigation file.
As the investigation continues into how the scratches on the front of the 92-meter-long, 11-meter-wide ship occurred, samples taken from the area where the scratch marks were found on the cargo ship and the part of Yukay's broken boat where the marks were found were sent to the Bursa Criminal Police Laboratory Directorate. As a result of the examination, it was reported that the paint residues in the scratch marks on the front of 'Arel 7' matched those of Halit Yukay's broken boat. According to the forensic report, it was determined that the color and layers of the micro-level samples taken from the damaged part of the ship, evaluated as the 'collision area', were similar in physical structure to the samples taken from Halit Yukay's boat.
'GRAYWOLF'S BLACK BOX SENT ABROAD FOR EXAMINATION In Halit Yukay's broken boat, the initial examination of the 'black box', which contains details such as the ship's route, date, and time, did not yield results. It was learned that the device was sent abroad for detailed examination.
The arrested captain Cemal Tokatlıoğlu of 'Arel 7' also stated in his testimony at the court in Yalova that he felt a jolt during the voyage, saying, "We had passed Marmara Island. I felt a jolt, I couldn't understand it, I looked ahead and saw two pieces on my right and left. I saw them as wooden pieces. I passed through the middle, but after going a little further, I turned back with the ship. I didn't feel comfortable. At that moment, I saw a life buoy. I couldn't understand what the wooden pieces I saw on my right and left were."
He said, "I continued on my way when I realized it wasn't a situation related to me."
'I SAW BOAT PARTS FLOATING ON THE SURFACE OF THE SEA' On August 4, the 'Arel 7', which set sail from Çanakkale to deliver cement to İzmit Port and was stopped by the Yalova Coast Guard Command on suspicion of colliding with Halit Yukay's boat, was anchored in the Yalova anchorage, and the crew's statements were also taken. Master sailor Metin Sarı (50) stated in his testimony that after crossing the Dardanelles at 08:00, he handed over his watch and painted the ship's bow until 16:30, saying, "After that, we prepared dinner. They were cooking chicken. I brought the cooked chickens down to help and took the raw meat up. While I was going down to get the chicken, there was a vibration on the ship. When I came out, I saw pieces floating on the surface of the sea. They looked like boat parts. I recorded a video of the boat parts with my cell phone. The ship maneuvered around the floating boat parts. Then we continued on our course. The second captain was also with me while I was recording the video. The sunken boat parts I saw were known to Captain Süvari. That's why I didn't inform anyone else."
'I SAW A LIFE BUOY FLOATING ON THE SURFACE OF THE SEA' Another master sailor on the 'Arel 7', İsa Alazoğlu, stated in his testimony that he was on break in the afternoon and said:
"Around 16:00, they said they would have a barbecue. Our barbecue was on the starboard aft side. I started the fire with pre-cut wood. The chief cook brought the materials. I saw boat parts turned over on the water on the starboard side. I went down to the mess hall. All the crew came up to the deck. After the ship moved a bit around 17:20, it maneuvered from the starboard side. The second captain and a master sailor named Metin went to the front. I saw him recording with his phone. The ship turned around 500-600 meters away and continued on its course. I saw a life buoy floating on the surface of the sea, and the ship continued on its course. I didn't inform anyone because I thought Captain Süvari would notify them."
During the voyage, it was learned that there were 13 crew members on board with the captain, and it is evaluated that the possibility of Captain Cemal Tokatlıoğlu leaving his position by activating the 'automatic pilot' system while his lookout and assistant went down for dinner at the time of the accident may have caused the accident.
LAST SPOKE WITH A FAMOUS ACTOR On the other hand, Halit Yukay's actor friend Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ was also consulted as part of the investigation. DHA reporter reached Tatlıtuğ's statement given on August 11 in Istanbul during the investigation. Tatlıtuğ, who was the last person to speak with Yukay, stated, "The last time I spoke with him was on Monday, August 4, at 17:09, for 37 seconds via WhatsApp. Since I was in Greece and my friend who was coming from Yalova couldn't get a signal due to the area, we were communicating through this channel. Before that, I received a call from Halit Yukay at 14:28, but I couldn't answer because I was unavailable. Immediately after that, at 14:29, Halit Yukay wrote, 'Kıvanç, greetings, the service has arrived. They will come to install the part tomorrow. I have set off. I will be with you tomorrow, best regards.' I called him at 15:10, but he didn't answer because he was at sea. He called me back at 15:14, but I couldn't answer again. We were both busy at that time. When I called him at 17:09, he answered my phone. We had a 37-second conversation. His voice was quite calm and came from a quiet place. When I spoke to him on the phone, he told me that everything was fine, that he had set off, and that the weather was not bad, and everything was going very well, in a very relaxed tone."
'I CONTINUED TO SEARCH AND SEND MESSAGES' According to the program Halit Yukay made, after staying one night in Bozcaada, he would continue his voyage depending on the weather conditions, and on August 8, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ stated that Halit Yukay's wife, children, a couple with their own boat, and their children would continue their vacation in Greece. Tatlıtuğ continued his statement as follows: "After talking on the phone at 17:09, in the 37th second, I asked him for his location, 'Where exactly are you?' He told me, 'Brother, I am approaching Marmara Island. I will be in Bozcaada by evening, before it gets dark.' After saying, 'Everything is under control, don't worry,' I asked him again to tell me his exact location. I said, 'Tell me your location, I will calculate where you are going.' Immediately after the location conversation, I heard a sound of him entering a strong wind. I witnessed that the phone did not work in certain places in the Marmara Island area. Four weeks ago, I took my own boat along the same route with Halit Yukay from Yalova. That's why I didn't panic, thinking the phone would work, and we would talk after a while. I continued to make calls and send messages intermittently. I thought his battery had died. Later, I called Eren from Halit Yukay's team. He said that the situation of Halit not answering the phone could be due to the line being down there, that normally there are few situations where he cannot be reached while sailing, but we shouldn't panic, and that he would continue to call later. I learned that since he was a good sailor, if the weather was bad after Bozcaada, he could stay in Çeşme. During that time, as the number of people who couldn't reach Halit increased, the necessary channels were informed about the situation. Since that day, we have been searching for our brother."
It was also noted that after 17:09, the time when Tatlıtuğ last spoke with Yukay, he repeatedly called and sent messages to him.
'TCG IŞIN' COULD NOT START OPERATIONS DUE TO WIND On the 19th day of the search for Halit Yukay, the efforts to recover his lifeless body, located 7 miles off the coast of Erdek at a depth of 68 meters, could not begin due to strong winds and waves. The 'TCG Işın', one of the two rescue and support ships of the Turkish Navy, which arrived in the area on August 26 to participate in the operations, could not anchor due to adverse weather conditions. The Navy personnel, who once again captured the body underwater with an ROV, were expected to start their operations due to weather conditions, and it is planned that Yukay's lifeless body will be recovered by divers using an elevator system.