A founding partner of Proteksan Turquoise, the superyacht builder based in Turkey, died suddenly on Monday.
Hayati Kamhi was found in his home in Istanbul with a gunshot wound to his head, according to published reports. The incident is still being investigated, but police are calling the death a suicide, according to reports.
Kamhi, 62, and Mehmet Karabeyoglu formed Proteksan Turquoise 15 years ago, and the company is now a world-class superyacht builder ranked as one of the top 10 luxury shipyards in the world. The yard has become one of Turkey’s leading custom superyacht builders, having built 21 yachts larger than 30 meters.
The funeral was expected to take place today at the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Turkey.
Just four months ago, Proteksan Turquoise experienced a different kind of loss when its newly launched yacht Yogi, a 197-footer, sank off Skyros, Greece. The exact cause remains a mystery, but the dramatic sinking, rescue and accompanying photos generated a great deal of international attention and speculation.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Kamhi told Power & Motoryacht magazine after the incident. “The boat had just left the shipyard in perfect condition a few days before. I was stunned.”
Kamhi knew entrepreneurial success before Proteksan Turquoise. He founded Farimex SA in Geneva, and P and F Maritime SA in Geneva, and he was on the boards of Bosch-Siemens (electrical white goods) and Munich Aehen (life insurance) in Turkey.
Click here for the full PMY story in the magazine’s June issue.
— Sabrina Stedman
