Humanity on the High Seas

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 22 January 2019)



The cargo ship 'Volgobalt 214,' en route from Russia, sank in a storm
off Samsun in the Black Sea on 7 January.  Seven crew members were
saved but 6 others were lost. 

Twelve days after the sinking, a dramatic development occurred. 
Another cargo ship, the 'M/V Nurs', belonging to Kamer Denizcilik,
left Russia for Greece on 19 January and spotted a 'filika' (lifeboat)
in the waters off Novorossiysk.  The ship's captain, Sercan Çaylı,
saw that there was a lifeless body in the damaged lifeboat so he
stopped his ship. Thinking that it would take authorities a while to
reach the wandering lifeboat, he took aboard what turned out to be
the body of İsmailov Turbat (47), the captain of the 'Volgobalt 214'.



Çaylı was aware of the 'Volgobalt 214''s sinking so he called Emir
Yıldız of Kamer Denizcilik, who in turn called Ahmet Can Bozkurt,
the general manager of insurance company Omur Marine to get
permission for the 'M/V Nurs' to change its route and deliver
Turbat's body to officials in Novorossiysk.  Although such a change
of route is very expensive, both companies agreed and the 'M/V Nurs'
returned to Novorossiysk harbor at midnight after fighting through
very difficult weather conditions.

'Volgobalt 214''s insurance company Omur Marine hired a boat to
retrieve Turbat's body from the 'M/V Nurs' off Novorossiysk and
delived the body to Russian authorities.  Ahmet Can Bozkurt
noted that "we were very pleased by this humane action taken by
the captain and crew of the Nurs. The fact that they disregarded the
cost of changing their route to retrieve the body was indicative of
sailors' solidarity.  We are prepared to shoulder the expense of the
route change and port costs.  Our representative in Novorossisk is
taking care of everything and will ensure that the body of the
Azeri captain is delivered to his grieving family."



Samsun on Turkey's Black Sea coast is just about opposite
of Novorossiysk in Russia.