Engineer Bülend Temur reflects on 40 years in maritime at ITU's Fish Day, honoring alumni and their shared experiences in the industry.
The 141st Traditional Fish Day event was organized by the Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Faculty of Maritime and the ITU Maritime Faculty Alumni Association (DEFAMED) on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at the university's Tuzla Campus. The event celebrated alumni marking their 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversaries in the maritime profession.
During the ceremony, Engineer Bülend Temur, representing the 40th graduation year alumni, delivered an emotional speech recounting his journey from the Maritime High School to the ITU Faculty of Maritime. Temur expressed, "Today, after 40 years since our graduation, we feel a great sense of joy and excitement being together. I want to share how we started at our school, the storms we weathered, and what we achieved amidst challenges."
Temur began by describing the process of entering the Maritime High School during a tumultuous period in Turkey, following the military intervention of September 12, 1980. He recounted how he was placed on April 13, 1981, among 420,000 candidates, ranking in the top 1% to secure a place at the Maritime High School in Ortaköy, which had long been a dream.
However, just as they thought they had reached their ideal, an unexpected storm hit. On August 18, 1981, a law was enacted that hastily relocated their school from Ortaköy, affiliated with the Naval Forces, to Tuzla. They learned about this change only through newspapers during the registration period. The new location was not a modern campus but a quarantine area dating back to 1890, with massive dormitories for 130 people and inadequate infrastructure. In the early years, the challenges were overwhelming, with students washing with ice-cold water and waiting in the rain for hours, both physically and psychologically testing them.
All school administrators were military personnel, and they felt the sadness of friends expelled due to political views and the void left by resigning professors. They were not educated in a university but rather in a barracks. However, these challenges forged unbreakable bonds among them. With the support of their teachers from Ortaköy and alumni, they found morale.
These experiences drew them together and united them, embodying the spirit of the Maritime High School. Finally, in 1989, their school was named ITU Maritime Vocational School, and in 1992, it received the name it deserved: Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Maritime.
After graduating and gaining experience on ships, they sought to support their school and fellow students. To this end, they established the ITU Maritime Faculty Alumni Social Assistance Foundation on March 26, 1995, with the leadership of the ITU DF Alumni Maritime High School Association, along with other maritime organizations and 95 pioneering alumni. Temur takes pride in being the founding general secretary and a member of the broadest board of directors.
To ensure that future students do not experience the hardships they faced, they first improved the school canteen. With great effort, they established a dormitory with a capacity of 614 people on December 10, 2012, providing meals and creating joyful experiences.
This was a significant step for their school, revitalizing the spirit of the Maritime High School. Thanks to the efforts of alumni and supporters, along with the dean and rector's backing, they saw the Seahorse Building established and simulators renewed with support from the DTO.
In memory of the late Captain Altay Aluğ, the dining hall and laboratory building were established. Their friends Captain Ufuk Teker and Captain Av. Çağlar Coskunsu contributed to strengthening the infrastructure of many facilities, including the artificial turf field. While reflecting on these achievements, Temur honored classmates who left too soon, stating their memories will always be cherished.
He remembered friends Süreyya Güler, Bülent Çağatay, Erdoğan Köseoğlu, Hasan Gözcü, Ömer Faruk Aserdem, Osman Serdar Kavun, and Şefik Aşkan, wishing them peace and paradise. He also wished a speedy recovery to friends battling illnesses. It is the duty of alumni to keep the torch of their legacy alive, and it is the responsibility of the current generation to carry it forward.
He urged everyone to always protect unity and solidarity at all costs, both at sea and on land. "Stand by each other, support NGOs, and participate in their activities. We are a vast ocean because we embody the spirit of the Maritime High School," he concluded.
"May your bow be clear, and may your winds be favorable," he added, leaving a lasting message for all attendees.
Source: www.denizhaber.com
