The 29th traditional solidarity night organized by the ITU Maritime Faculty (YDO) Alumni Social Assistance Foundation (DEFAV) was held at the Maslak Hilton Hotel.

The event was attended by notable figures including Ambassador Suat Hayri Aka, General Manager of Turkish Maritime Enterprises of the TRNC Cemalettin Şevli, Dean of ITU Maritime Faculty (YDO) Prof. Dr. Özcan Arslan, Rector of Piri Reis University Prof. Dr. Nafiz Arıca, and Chairman of the Board of TURMEPA Şadan Kaptanoğlu, along with representatives from various maritime NGOs.

In his opening speech, Captain Koray Karagöz, Chairman of the Board of ITU DEFAV, emphasized that this night is not merely a dinner and gathering; it is a night of solidarity, sharing, and the belief in achieving a better tomorrow together. He highlighted that the greatest strength behind the foundation's activities is the support and heartfelt contributions of the maritime community.

Karagöz stated:

"We succeeded thanks to our YDO spirit!"

"We sincerely thank you for being by our side at every step we take and for being together with us. We wholeheartedly believe that if we join hands, we will build a much stronger future together.

For this purpose, as the board of our foundation, we will continue to provide educational and accommodation scholarships to 304 students, financial assistance to 86 of our graduates and their families, and overseas scholarships to 7 academics. We will continue to serve 616 students in our dormitory at full capacity. We will be honored and delighted to host our elders, students, and NGOs at our Gündüz Aybay Maritime and Education Center, which we own and have renovated. We will continue to publish our Maritime Magazine, which is the voice of our community. We will continue our efforts to obtain public benefit foundation status and for our Seafarer House project, in addition to our ongoing activities. We achieved all of this thanks to you, thanks to our community, and thanks to our YDO spirit, and we will continue to work with all our strength to achieve even more in the future."

Guests enjoyed entertainment later in the evening with performances by Ferihan Atik and Öykü Gürman, hosted by Melis Ünal.

The companies supporting the night are as follows:

Poseidon Marine, AVS, Kıran Holding

Platinum Sponsors

ABS, Platinum Shipping & Trading, SOCAR

Gold Sponsors

Alyans, Atılgan Denizcilik, Batı Lojistik, Carbon Market, My Carbons, Çavuş & Coşkunsu Law Office, Esenyel Partners, Gulf Marine, GEO Marine Trade, GİSBİR, JOTUN, KRY Coating & Maritime, kpi ocean connect, Marin Römorkör, NEO Insurance Brokers, ORSA Pilot, PascoGas, Stella Tanker, TRANSBOS, Turk P&I, YAF Group, Türk Loydu Foundation

Silver Sponsors

ARKAS, Atılgan, Atomar, BAI, Ditaş, DNV, ELKENZ, Gimaş, The Marshall Island Registry, Med Marine, Megatrans, Nippon Paint Marine, ONURSAN, SANMAR, ULUSOY, UZMAR, YEDİTEPE, ZEYMARINE

Source: SeaNews Türkiye