Two years have passed since the disaster in Karadeniz Ereğli where 12 sailors lost their lives on the Kafkametler ship. For the 12 sailors who lost their lives on the Kafkametler ship, which hit a military breakwater and sank while trying to transport cargo from Russia’s Temruk Port to İzmir during the storm on November 19, 2023, the Karadeniz Ereğli Municipality built a monument. The names of the 12 sailors will be commemorated on the monument, whose official opening was held on the Ereğli coast.
The opening of the monument, which bears the names of Captain Cemal Turan, 2nd Captain Hıfzı Turhan, Chief Engineer Veli Özel, 2nd Engineer Göksel Özel, Master Engineer Cüneyt Aygen, Radio Officer Berke Çamurtaş, Master Sailor Satılmış Uslu, Master Sailor İsmail Kaptan, Sailor Mustafa Nacar, Deck Supervisor Tamer Özer, Oiler Ömer Hebip and Cook Metin Usta, was held with a ceremony. After the opening of the monument, the Quran was recited and prayers were offered. Speaking at the ceremony, Karadeniz Ereğli Mayor Halil Posbıyık stated, “Our real guests here are the families. They suffered a lot. They were our guests here for months with the hope that we could find the missing sailors. We have gathered here in the heart of Ereğli to commemorate our 12 sailors we lost on the Kafkametler ship on November 19, 2023, and for the opening of the monument we built for them. Two years ago today, on the morning of November 19, the Black Sea became fierce once again. The wind never ceased, I have lived in Ereğli since I was born. I have never seen such a disaster. We experienced the biggest disaster in Ereğli’s history, almost a tsunami,” drawing attention to the magnitude of the storm.
Zonguldak Governor Osman Hacıbektaşoğlu expressed that they gathered for the opening of the monument built to keep the memory of the 12 sailors alive, saying: “The disaster that occurred that day deeply affected all of us. Its pain remains fresh despite the time that has passed. We also lost 3 of our citizens in the flood during the same disaster. Being here today with our precious families and sharing your pain is a very important duty for us. It is not easy, and even impossible, to describe the pain you have experienced from losing your children, spouses, and siblings. We all saw the dignity, fortitude, and patience you showed during this process. Sometimes you struggled a lot, we struggled a lot. But we are all like that. Pain can make a person lose their mind. But with the support of our spouses, friends, and people next to us, we can overcome it. We always tried to do that. We feel the burden you carry from the heart. Each member of the crew we lost has earned a special and valuable place in the memory of this city. The name and memory of each one is a precious legacy for their family and for this city.”
The ceremony ended after carnations were placed at the monument.
