A high-profile Turkish businessman has gone missing while sailing toward the Greek island of Mykonos, sparking a major search operation by Turkish authorities.

Halit Yukay, a 43-year-old yacht manufacturer and founder of Mazu Yachts, departed Turkey on the evening of Saturday, August 2, aboard his private yacht Graywolf. His destination was Mykonos, but shortly after his departure, communication with him was lost.

His family alerted authorities when they were unable to contact him, and the Turkish Coast Guard was officially notified at 11:40 p.m. on Monday, August 4. The following day, Tuesday, at 2:30 p.m., the crew of a commercial vessel reported debris from a boat floating off the coast of Proconnesus (Marmara Island). It was later confirmed that the wreckage belonged to Yukay’s yacht.

The yacht was found half-sunken and severely damaged. Despite efforts involving professional divers, a helicopter, and Coast Guard vessels, there has been no trace of Yukay so far.

Search operations remain ongoing as concerns grow over the fate of the well-known businessman.

Yukay began his career working in shipyards and realized his dream of launching his own yacht-building company in 2011. Mazu Yachts is recognized in Turkey for its modern designs and advanced technology in luxury yacht construction.

He is married to Rania Styppa, a Greek national and the company’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations.