Ergun served as Master in the Turkish navy for 10 years and holds an Oceangoing Master's License. After leaving the navy, he qualified as a lawyer and started practicing maritime law. He has more than 37 years of experience as a maritime lawyer focusing on admiralty law, collisions, salvage, general average, pollution, charter party and bills of lading disputes. His main clientele includes ship owners, charterers, P&I clubs, H&M underwriters and salvors.

Ergun represented clients in most of the maritime accidents and collisions in the Turkish Straits including all catastrophic events such as Independenta/Evriali, Shipbroker/Nassia. Some of the major incidents which he assisted his clients are the following: MV “Caldiron” c/w MV “Guitara Sea” – 1998, MV “Gediz” (General Average) – 1989, MV “Cavlibey” c/w MV “Pasabahce” – 1991, MV “Rabunion 18” c/w “Madonna Lily” – 1991, MV “Rabunion 14” c/w MV “Bazias I” – 1992, MV “Khudoznik Gerasimov” (fire in Tuzla shipyard) – 1993, MT “Nassia” c/w MV “Shipbroker” (gave rise to marine pollution) – 1994, MV “Gu Yuan Hai” c/w MV “Barbaros Oktay” – 1995, MT “Gole” (explosion and fire in shipyard) – 1997, MV “Kaptan Osman Bahri” c/w MT “Omerli” and damage to birth – 1998, MV “Shipka” c/w “Semele” (“Semele” sank with steel cargo) – 1999, MV “Blue Bold” (Salvage, General Average) – 2000, MV “Modisk 3” c/w MV “Yeni Besiktas 2” – 2002, MV “Challenger” c/w MV “Fatih N” – 2002, MV “Hera” – (sank in Black Sea with cargo; 21 crew lost) – 2004, MV “Strontsiy” – (Grand salvage of cargo; wreck removal; pollution) – 2004, M/V Panagia (vessel hijacked by pirates, general average and insurance claim) – 2005, M/V Fatsa B (classification society liability) – 2005, “Iran Madani” c/w “Hacı İbrahim” (Arrest of the crew)-2006, “Cape Bird” (collision)-2006, “Turgut Kocabaş” c/w “Zinnet Mete” (collision)-2007, “Ofmar” (cargo claim)-2013, “Ever Judger” (cargo claim)-2014, “Latmar” (cargo claim)-2015, “Lady Aziza” c/w “Gokbel” (collision)-2015, “Cepnioglu” (cargo claims) –2015.

He also participated in the drafting of the Statute on Maritime Traffic Oder For The Turkish Straits.

 

"Analysis of Collision Provisions of the Effectuated Turkish Commercial Law no. 6102", Marmara University Law School, Istanbul Bar Maritime Law Commission, Beykent University Law School Conference Presentations, 2012

“Legal Status in the Straits and Establishment of a Traffic Separation Scheme”, Paper Presentation, 1993

"Cargo Operations and Transactions on Tankers and Dry Cargo Vessels", Co-author, 1988

“Supreme Court Decisions on Maritime Law", Compiler, 1986