Established by Law No. 5812 on August 16, 1951, Denizcilik Bankası T.A.O. (Maritime Bank) officially began its operations on March 1, 1952. However, it soon faced various challenges as it lacked the resources to meet the demands of the evolving economic landscape. The most significant of these issues was the congestion at the Port of Istanbul, which led foreign shipowners to threaten freight rate increases. Additionally, the inadequacy of the national fleet in the face of rising imports resulted in heavy "invisible expenses"—freight payments made to foreign-flagged vessels that constituted a major portion of the foreign trade deficit.
To address these setbacks, the management of Denizcilik Bankası accelerated the construction of port craft in shipyards to increase port capacity. Furthermore, they modernized the ports of Salıpazarı and Haydarpaşa to meet contemporary standards, thereby minimizing freight losses.
New vessels were desperately needed for import and export activities. Very few privately-owned ships were capable of handling international trade; most were unfit for overseas routes and were relegated to domestic coal and salt transport. Meanwhile, the Maritime Lines (Denizyolları İşletmesi) was struggling to balance domestic passenger and cargo transport and could not sufficiently maintain its cargo fleet. Its existing tonnage was far from meeting the demand. These conditions necessitated the establishment of a new organization and the expansion of the fleet to conduct regular voyages.
Consequently, in 1954, the "Cargo Ship Enterprise" (Şilepçilik İşletmesi) was established under the authority of Law No. 5842 within Denizcilik Bankası. Captain Asım Alnıak was appointed Manager, with Fadıl Sarımsakcı as Assistant Manager. To achieve better results, this enterprise was restructured on May 14, 1955, into D.B. DENİZ NAKLİYATI TÜRK ANONİM ORTAKLIĞI, capitalized at 110,000,000 Turkish Liras. The ownership was divided among Denizcilik Bankası (51%), the Pension Fund (48%), and a consortium including Petrol Ofisi, Etibank, İş Bankası, Emlak Bankası, and Türk Ticaret Bankası (1%).
The first Chairman of the Board was Tevfik Rüştü Aras, Atatürk’s former Foreign Minister. The first General Manager was Captain Asım Alnıak, supported by Assistant Managers Fadıl Sarımsakçı and Senior Engineer Şekip Özgener. The initial staff consisted of 56 managers and office workers on land and 848 personnel at sea, totaling 904 employees.
Ships such as the Ardahan, Bakır, Demir, Hopa, Malatya, Kars, Kastamonu, Rize, Yozgat, Çoruh, Eskişehir, Kırşehir, Aydın, Manisa, Kütahya, Seyhan, and Nevşehir, along with the tankers Kocaeli and Sivas, were transferred to the new fleet. These were second-hand purchases. After the 1955 establishment, the company sought to modernize by ordering new builds from Japan, including the cargo ships Amasya, Denizli, Kayseri, Sakarya, Bolu, and the tanker Batman.
The Final Moments of the M/V Amasya
The M/V AMASYA, one of these new builds, capsized and sank on February 17, 1970, in the Bay of Biscay due to cargo shifting during a violent storm. In its March 5, 1970 issue, Hayat Magazine covered the disaster under the headline "The Last Minutes of the Amasya," featuring photos of the ship sinking and testimonies from survivors.
Cook Fahri Sabuncu recalled: "I had prepared 'çoban kavurması' for the Eid meal. Just as I was checking the salt, the ship listed. I ran out with the ladle in my hand; the scene was pure chaos." Sailor Şerafettin Aslan: "We were climbing onto the British ship that came to help, one by one via a rope. When it was my turn, my hand slipped and I fell into the water. If they hadn't pulled me back to the ship, I wouldn't be here."
Able Seaman Mehmet Yıldırım: "I was in the hold with the Captain, trying to figure out how to stop the water. Suddenly, the ship shook violently and began to sink. We rushed out, but I never saw the Captain again."
Chief Engineer Mehmet Özdöl "Died Twice": It was said that Chief Engineer Mehmet Özdöl died twice during this disaster. After narrowly escaping death on the sinking ship, the rubber boat he shared with colleagues reached the British rescuer ship. He grabbed the rope to be pulled up, but his hand slipped. He vanished into the frothing waves of the surging ocean.
A Gloomy Eid Morning
Survivor İbrahim Turan, a sailor of 23 years who was the last to leave the ship, recounted: «I was the last to leave. As I jumped from the deck of the sinking Amasya, I held the ship's flag tightly in my hand. The water was freezing—they later said it was -4 degrees. My brain felt frozen, my muscles cramped. But I had to swim to survive. I fought the waves for two hours with one arm, never letting go of the Turkish flag. Finally, the British ship 'North Prince' approached. I grabbed the line they threw and saved my life.»
The tragedy began on the first morning of Eid al-Adha. The crew had gathered in the officers' lounge to celebrate, masking their longing for their families with professional stoicism. Around 10:30 AM, the ship suddenly listed heavily to the port side. Captain Burhan Işım and the crew opened the No. 2 hold, discovering that roughly 30 sacks had shifted and water was covering the zinc ore in the deep hold. Despite orders to pump the water, the list increased until the main engine stopped. The Captain gave the order to abandon ship. Lifeboats were smashed against the hull by the waves; only one rubber boat and one lifeboat survived the impact.
Official Inquiry and Insurance
Following the disaster, an administrative inquiry was launched. The report concluded that the 1,524 tons of "zinc-lead concentrate"—loaded as liquid mud at Mudanya—had shifted due to heavy seas in the Bay of Biscay, causing the ship to capsize. Nine sailors, including the Captain, lost their lives.
The ship was insured for a total of 5.5 million TL. It was noted that this cargo (concentrate) is extremely dangerous when wet; modern standards now require such minerals to be dried in kilns before loading to prevent liquefaction.
There are conflicting accounts of Captain Burhan Işım’s final moments. Some say he died while trying to shield a small sailing yacht from the storm to rescue its crew. Others, like Steward İbrahim Kul, confirm he was last seen on the poop deck, supervising the evacuation until the very end. Another tragic account mentions Steward Şerif Özcan, who pleaded with the Captain to leave. When the Captain refused, Özcan jumped into the -4 degree water but died of hypothermia.
The 5.5 million TL insurance payout from the Amasya was likely used to fund the purchase of the "River Class" ships (Fırat, Dicle, Meriç, Aras, Gediz, Keban) ordered from Yugoslavia during that period.
May those who lost their lives in the freezing waters on that Eid morning rest in peace.
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