Assignment for search operations for businessman Halit Yukay's body: Statement from the Ministry of National Defense

The Ministry of National Defense (MSB) issued a statement regarding businessman Halit Yukay, who set off from Yalova to Bozcaada with his private boat on August 4 and has not been heard from since, stating: "Upon the request made by the Coast Guard Command, our TCG Işın ship, affiliated with our Northern Sea Area Command, has been assigned and has commenced search and rescue operations."

The MSB issued a statement regarding the search operations for businessman Halit Yukay, who set off from Yalova to Bozcaada with his private boat on August 4 and has not been heard from since. The statement noted the following:

"During the search operations conducted by the Coast Guard Command for Halit Yukay, who went missing in the Sea of Marmara while traveling from Yalova SETUR Marina to Bozcaada on August 4, 2025, on a Turkish-flagged boat named GREYWOLF, a lifeless body assessed to belong to the victim was detected at a depth of 68 meters. Upon the request made by the Coast Guard Command, our TCG Işın ship, affiliated with our Northern Sea Area Command, has been assigned and has commenced search and rescue operations."

Businessman Halit Yukay set sail on August 4 at 15:10 from Yalova to Bozcaada on his own boat named "Graywolf." Following a report from Yukay's relatives after they could not reach him that same day, Coast Guard teams took action. While the teams began search efforts, a report was received on August 5 at approximately 14:30 from a commercial vessel sailing off the coast of Turanköy on the Kapıdağ Peninsula in the Erdek district of Balıkesir, stating that semi-submerged boat parts were seen on the sea surface.

FOUND IN A SHATTERED STATE

The Coast Guard South Marmara Group Command teams went to the given coordinates. Search and rescue operations were initiated with 1 helicopter, 1 diving team, and 7 floating assets affiliated with the Coast Guard Command. The diving team also performed a dive to the semi-submerged boat, but no results were obtained from the searches. During the teams' examination, it was determined that the engine serial number of the shattered boat matched Halit Yukay's boat. Underwater footage of the boat, where the Coast Guard South Marmara Group Command teams conducted a dive, showed that it had been shattered.

BODY FOUND AT A DEPTH OF 68 METERS

Yukay's body was reached on the 19th day of the search operations carried out by the Coast Guard South Marmara Group Command, the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, and the Sea Port Branch Directorates of the Samsun, Çanakkale, İzmir, and Yalova Police Departments. Yukay's body, which was detected by the sea police using a YTS device at a depth of 68 meters in the area where the accident occurred, 7 miles off the coast of Erdek district, was also imaged by an ROV. Around the body, the boat's engine plates and parts of the boat were also identified.

The operation to recover the body from the seabed will be carried out in coordination with the Naval Forces Command to ensure the integrity of the body is not compromised. The ROV, which performs imaging and scanning up to a depth of 300 meters, can also bring the elements detected underwater to the surface with the help of a gripper arm on the mechanism attached to it. However, as there is concern that the integrity of the body might be compromised, it is planned to carry out the work together with the Naval Forces Command.

News Source: 12punto