Arel-7

Turkish prosecutors have issued an indictment seeking up to nine years in prison for the captain and crew of the 'Arel 7', which was allegedly involved in the fatal collision with the 'Graywolf' of the yacht designer and Mazu Yachts co-founder Halit Yukay. He had been en route to the island of Mykonos from Yalova, when he was reported missing by his family on Aug 4. After 19 days of SAR effortsa body was located at a depth of 68 metres on Aug 23. The wreckage of the yacht 'Graywolf' was also discovered shortly after. In the days following the incident, authorities began investigating allegations that the yacht had been in collision with the 'Arel 7'. The ship's captain, Cemal Tokatlıoğlu, was arrested on Aug 10 for the charge of "causing death by negligence". He was released on Oct 23 pending his trial. A 14-page indictment prepared by the Bandırma Chief Public Prosecutor's Office now requested Tokatlıoğlu face a prison sentence of three to nine years for the same charge. The eight crew members on board the 'Arel 7' and one company official could also be facing one to three years in prison for failing to assist or notify authorities. None of the defendants was taken in custody. The trial was expected to begin later in December.

The 12.20-metre Mazu 42 yacht 'Graywolf' of the Turkish businessman Halit Yukay, 43, who owned a yacht shipyard and company in the Altınova district of Yalova, was destroyed in a collision with the 'Arel 7' in the Marmara Sea. On Aug. 4, 2025. Yukay set sail from Yalova aboard his yacht en route to Bozcaada at 3.10 p.m.. The 'Arel 7', carrying cement from Canakkale to Izmit Kocaeli, experienced a sudden jolt near Marmara Island. Testimonies from the crew of the cargo ship suggested that the accident occurred while the sailors were preoccupied with a barbecue on deck, leaving the vessel’s helm unattended. The entire crew rushed to the deck after noticing wreckage, but no one called for help, assuming that the ship’s officer in charge would handle it. The ship berthed in Izmit on Aug 5 at 4 a.m. with signs of a collision at the bow. Security camera footage showed the captain of the 'Arel 7', t 4:17 a.m., coming to the bow to look at the ship, then standing at the port side bow to look at the ship again. These images, along with photographs of the ship, which was identified as having distinct scrape marks at its bow, were included in the investigation file. The yacht was found shattered and half-submerged off Marmara Island on Aug 5 at 2:30 p.m. by a commercial vessel navigating off the Turanköy, Kapıdağ Peninsula. An SAR operation was launched with one helicopter, one diving team, and seven boats from the Coast Guard Command. A dive team also searched into the partially sunken boat, but their search yielded no results. The teams' investigation determined that the engine serial number of the shattered boat matched that of Halit Yukay's yacht. Underwater footage of the boat, which was dived by teams from the Coast Guard Southern Marmara Group Command, revealed that it had been destroyed. The wreckage was towed to Ekinlik Island and brought ashore by crane as part of an investigation launched by the Marmara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. On the sixth day of the search, divers from the Bursa Police Department's Seaport Branch, the Çanakkale Police Department's Seaport Branch, and the Samsun Police Department's Seaport Branch found debris washed up on the rocks north of Paşalimanı Island, also believed to belong to the 'GraywolfÄ. The debris was also sent for expert examination. Only after 19 days of search operations, navy divers recovered Yukay’s body at a depth of 68 meters on Aug 23 at 7 p.m. Using side-scan sonar and ROV devices in the divers' inventory, the body was detected on the seabed near the probable collision site. Efforts to recover the victim's body were ongoing. Prosecutors have placed the captain, the second captain, and seven other crew members of the 'Arel 7' under investigation. The captain was detained in Yalova on charges of "causing death by negligence." He was released on probation and an international travel ban. Following an objection from the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, he was detained again in Istanbul and arrested on Aug 10. The captain and his deputy were facing charges of causing death by negligence, while the rest could be prosecuted for failing to report a crime. Investigators suspected that the captain had switched the vessel to automatic pilot mode before leaving the bridge, without assigning a lookout. A record from Türkiye’s emergency service also entered the case file. It showed that the wife of one crew member had phoned 11,, claiming: “My husband’s ship struck something, but the captain told the crew to stay silent.” Although she later retracted her statement, prosecutors were treating it as evidence. Experts have confirmed that samples taken from the ship’s damaged bow matched paint layers from Yukay’s yacht, strengthening the suspicion of a collision. Investigators also retrieved a navigation console from the wreckage of the 'Graywolf'. Since the device was too damaged to be read in Türkiye, it has been sent abroad for further examination. As the investigation continued, prosecutors were working to determine the full scope of responsibility for the incident that cost Halit Yukay his life. Reports with photos: https://www.seskocaeli.com/haber/26021153/is-insani-halit-yukayin-teknesindeki-izler-ile-arel-7deki-izler-eslesti-kivanc-tatlitug-ifade-verdi https://www.dw.com/tr/halit-yukay%C4%B1n-cans%C4%B1z-bedenine-68-metre-derinlikte-ula%C5%9F%C4%B1ld%C4%B1/a-73743709 https://www.turkiyetoday.com/nation/captain-absent-crew-barbecuing-when-cargo-ship-hit-yacht-of-turkish-businessman-3206054 https://www.boatinternational.com/yachts/news/search-and-rescue-yacht-designer-mazu-yachts-halit-yukay-missing-body-found

Detained for 6 days at Portoscuso with 4 deficiencies - released from detention on 2013‐5‐18