The “Champion Angels” Memorial Association Revokes Filo Denizcilik’s Right to Use the Name for a Vessel

The Association for Commemorating the “Champion Angels” (Şampiyon Melekleri Yaşatma Derneği) has revoked Filo Denizcilik’s permission to use the name “Şampiyon Melekler” for one of the company’s vessels. The association’s board sent the carrier a letter stating that the previously granted consent had been annulled and approval to register the vessel under that name had been withdrawn.

The association explained the decision by citing the sensitivity of the issue and its responsibility to ensure that the names of the children who died continue to live on. The association’s lawyers will begin legal proceedings on September 14.

The association was established by the families of young Turkish Cypriot volleyball players who died in an earthquake in Turkey on February 6, 2023: the children were staying at the İsias Hotel in Adıyaman when the building collapsed.

The name “Şampiyon Melekler” is used by an Filo Denizcilik bulk carrier that left Famagusta for Mersin on September 12. At the time, the TRNC Ministry of Transport stressed that the matter concerned only the extension of the vessel’s class, while the company’s sailings remained suspended.

Another vessel operated by the carrier, the Filo Jet ferry, sank on August 30 shortly after leaving the port of Kyrenia. The bodies of 14 people have been found, while another 14 remain missing; nine people are in custody in connection with the case.