Oil and gas industry expert Olzhas Baidildinov has commented on the situation surrounding a major fire on the Greek island of Hydra, caused by fireworks set off by tourists from a luxury yacht.
Earlier, a consortium of foreign media and individual reporters – the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) – reported that wealthy Kazakhstani nationals were on the yacht and left the country on a private jet the following day. Among them was allegedly one of the country's well-known businessmen, Daniyar Abulgazin, with his family. In addition, the passengers were reported to include the chairwoman of Halyk Bank, Umut Shayakhmetova, her husband, a former top manager of oil company KMG International NV, Beimbet Shayakhmetov, and their daughter.
On his Telegram channel "Baidildinov. Oil" the expert expressed the opinion that the yacht's crew and the company providing these services were to blame for the arson.
"Firstly, the Abulgazin and Shayakhmetova families were not 'holding a firework at arm's length from the yacht', as we might imagine a New Year's celebration. You couldn't even reach the island from there with that kind of firework. The yacht wouldn't have come that close to the shore either. These are special fireworks, not the kind you buy at New Year's stalls. If you open the standard rules, everywhere it will state that you cannot take or use pyrotechnics on a yacht", writes Baidildinov.
The expert also believes this service was included in the price of the yacht charter.
"The yacht's crew simply would not have let you set off any of your own fireworks bought on the way to the port – because it's a danger to the yacht itself. So, this must have been a pre-arranged and paid-for service", the statement reads.
According to Baidildinov, yacht charter advertisements include notes that firework services are paid for separately, and large vessels have built-in pyrotechnic devices, with the service agreed upon based on the number of volleys, duration, burst height, etc.
At the same time, he recalled that the Greek authorities allowed the yacht charterers to leave, which once again highlights that, in such cases, responsibility lies with the yacht's crew and the company providing the services. Furthermore, the expert considers the entire incident a mere "confluence of circumstances".
"I believe it's a confluence of circumstances. Intense heat and wind, which is precisely what caused the shots to fly towards the island and fanned the flames into a fire covering 120 hectares. The area of Hydra itself, if I'm not mistaken, is about 5,000 hectares. In Greece or Turkey, abnormal heat leads to massive fires every year", writes Baidildinov.
In conclusion, he noted that Halyk Bank's money will not be spent on chartering the yacht or restoring the island, as some media outlets are trying to suggest.
"In my opinion, the damage to the ecosystem will be covered by insurance. If Daniyar Rustemovich really did charter the yacht, he's a big businessman – he can afford a week's holiday. Maybe he bought the tour on an installment plan through Halyk Travel", the statement reads.
Meanwhile, according to Forbes.kz, Daniyar Abulgazin denies any involvement in the fire on the Greek island.
"It came as a complete shock to learn of the accusations in the press upon our return, and I categorically deny any wrongdoing. Neither I nor my guests committed any actions that could have led to the fire. We strictly followed the fire safety rules established on the yacht. Neither I nor my guests asked the yacht's crew or any other third parties to take any actions that could have caused the fire", the businessman stated.
In turn, Informburo.kz recently reported that the Greek prosecutor's office has charged 8 adult Kazakhstani passengers who were on board the yacht with complicity in arson in connection with the fire on the island of Hydra. Local authorities allegedly sought assistance from Kazakhstan, as the yacht's charterers left Greece without waiting for questioning by the authorities.