A fire that erupted late on March 21 aboard a luxury yacht in Yalıkavak Marina, Bodrum, quickly spread to several other vessels docked nearby, resulting in significant damage. The incident, which took hours to bring under control, led to the complete loss of seven luxury yachts and substantial damage to another.
Early estimates place the total financial loss at nearly 150 million euros. Several of the destroyed yachts were reportedly owned by Arab sheikhs and Russian oligarchs. Among those lost was the “Cher,” a motor yacht valued at approximately $25 million (1.1 billion Turkish lira), belonging to businessman Ozan Şer.
BUSINESSMAN LEARNED OF LOSS Although IN LONDON
Ozan Şer was visiting his sons, who are studying in London, for the Ramadan Bayram holiday when he received news of the fire. According to reports in Sabah, Şer immediately returned to Turkey to find his yacht, the “Cher,” completely destroyed. Another of the yachts consumed by the blaze belonged to İbrahim Levent, the son-in-law of the legendary Turkish actor Ayhan Işık.
The fire at the popular marina underscores the vulnerability of luxury assets to unforeseen incidents.
Aziz Yıldırım’s yacht, the “Lady Yaz,” narrowly escaped the flames, with the fire extinguished just one vessel away. Demet Sabancı Çetindoğan’s luxury yacht, “Desiree Bleue,” was also among those that were spared from the devastating fire.
