From Port Officer Hasan Kaçmaz, PO, Alanya - Manavgat - Antalya, Kemer, Turkey in response to a question about whether cruisers are encountering migrants in the Med.

This is a new world and it is not a happy one.

Millions of people in our neighbour countries, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, try to run away from their home towns to save the lives of their children, wives and relatives.

There are human smugglers mainly in Kas, Bodrum and Çesme region and they use any kind of boats to deliver those people to EU waters or land as much as possible. They charge each person around 3,000 to 5,000 US$

I don’t think that the smugglers will steal the dinghies from the yachts. The yacht dinghies are too small for the human smuggling and they know that the skippers will report the stolen dinghies to the authorities immediately.

I haven’t heard any news from Alanya, Antalya, Kemer, Finike and Kas marinas on the southern coast of Turkey that a dinghy was stolen from then yachts and used by the immigrants to go to next Greek Island.

No yacht reported yet that the yacht skipper has been asked or forced.
There are around 2 Million Syrian refugees in Turkey and they are everywhere but mainly on the south eastern part of Turkey. They will return to their homeland whenever the war is finished.

If any of OCC members notices a boat full of refugees in Turkish waters, they should inform Turkish Coast Guard on Ch 16. The Turkish Coast Guard officers mostly speak good English and their boats fast enough to rescue the immigrants either by CG boats or Helicopters.

Vice Commodore, OCC