The trial of three shipowners continues as the captain's daughter vehemently defends her father against negligence accusations following the Kafkametler
The trial regarding the cargo ship 'Kafkametler,' which sank after colliding with the military breakwater during a severe storm in the Ereğli district of Zonguldak on November 19, 2023, continued. Following the disaster, the trial of three shipowners is ongoing. The daughter of the ship's captain reacted strongly to the accusations against her father.
In the hearing held at the Kdz. Ereğli Heavy Criminal Court, the shipowners S.Ö., G.Ö., and K.Ö., who face up to 15 years in prison for 'causing the death of multiple persons through negligence,' did not attend, while the victim families and the defendants' lawyers were present.
Meltem Turan, the daughter of ship captain Cemal Turan, expressed her outrage at the expert report that indicated her father was at fault. Turan pointed out the technical deficiencies on the ship, stating, 'It is known that the ship's electrical system failed and there were serious shortcomings. My father made a distress call. However, the expert report portrays my father as guilty. This is a severe slander against us and an unjust accusation. We absolutely do not accept these allegations.'
Additionally, Güngör Çamurtaş, the father of the ship's third officer Berke Çamurtaş, requested the court to hear the testimony of other crew members who were on leave on the day of the incident. The court panel decided to compile the audio and video recordings from the ports of Karadeniz Ereğli and Karasu and to complete the missing points in the case file. The court ruled to continue the judicial control measures for the defendants and postponed the hearing to a later date.
The Turkish-flagged ship 'Kafkametler,' which set sail from Russia carrying cargo to İzmir, lost control and collided with the breakwater as it departed from Ereğli Port, where it had sought refuge due to the storm, and sank shortly thereafter. Of the 12 crew members, only the remains of 5 workers have been recovered so far; search efforts for the 7 sailors, including Captain Cemal Turan, have been unsuccessful.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
