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The body of Turkish businessman Halit Yukay, who went missing earlier this month during a boat trip, was recovered on Saturday from 68 meters (223 feet) below the Marmara Sea, nearly three weeks after his disappearance.
Authorities are investigating allegations that his boat collided with the dry cargo ship Arel 7, whose captain has been arrested after scrape marks on the vessel were found to match traces from Yukay’s wrecked boat.
Yukay, 43, set out on Aug. 4 from Yalova, a city south of Istanbul, bound for the Aegean island of Bozcaada on his private boat named Graywolf. When his family failed to make contact with him later that day, they alerted the Turkish Coast Guard.
The following afternoon, fragments of a partially submerged vessel were reported off the coast of Turankoy, near Balikesir province.
Authorities confirmed the wreckage belonged to Yukay’s boat, which was brought ashore for examination.
Search operations, involving helicopters, divers, and sonar equipment, continued for 19 days.
On Aug. 23, Coast Guard teams located a body identified as Yukay at a depth of 68 meters, approximately 80 miles off the coast of Erdek in Balikesir, the Balikesir Governor’s Office stated.
Authorities are investigating allegations that Yukay’s vessel collided with the Arel 7, a dry cargo ship. The ship’s captain, a 61-year-old man identified as C.T., was initially released under judicial control but later rearrested and placed in custody on charges of causing death by negligence.
Examinations revealed scrape marks on the bow of the Arel 7, which matched traces found on the wreck of the Graywolf.
Photographs taken before and after the incident showed visible differences in the cargo ship’s hull condition, while laboratory analysis also confirmed paint samples from both vessels were consistent.
The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Yalova is overseeing the investigation, which continues to examine vessel traffic records and physical evidence.
Officials confirmed that the wreck was hoisted to shore on Ekinlik Island for expert review.
As part of the inquiry, actor Kivanc Tatlitug, a close friend of Yukay, stated that he was speaking with Yukay by phone shortly before the line suddenly disconnected, after which no further contact was possible.
The investigation is still ongoing.
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