Turkish Cargo Ship Sinks Off Istanbul After Collision, 10 Feared Dead
10 crew members feared dead after Turkish cargo ship sinks.
A Turkish cargo ship carrying 10 crew members sank in the Marmara Sea off Istanbul early Wednesday after colliding with a tanker, Turkish authorities reported. The Tugberk Imamoglu sank rapidly following the collision, and officials have so far found no survivors. A lifeboat and other debris believed to belong to the vessel were recovered from the area.
Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu confirmed that all 10 people aboard the cargo ship, including its captain, were Turkish nationals. He noted that the vessel sank within around 11 minutes of the incident. Two helicopters and 12 search-and-rescue vessels have been deployed as authorities continue efforts to locate the missing crew.
The collision occurred at around 3 a.m. between the Turkish-flagged Tugberk Imamoglu and the tanker Alsu, approximately 32 kilometres south of Silivri, a western suburb of Istanbul. An emergency signal was received from the cargo ship, and the first rescue craft reached the location at around 4:10 a.m.
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The 90-metre cargo vessel was carrying rolled steel and was travelling from Iskenderun on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast to Eregli on the Black Sea. The 91-metre Alsu, identified as an oil or chemical tanker, was travelling from Kocaeli, east of Istanbul, towards Aliaga on the Aegean coast. Authorities indicated that the cargo ship may have sunk after it stopped responding to calls and crew members failed to answer their mobile phones.
The search operation comes as Turkish naval units are also assisting in efforts to locate a passenger ferry that sank off the coast of Cyprus on Sunday. Eight people died in the Filo Jet incident, while 20 others remain missing, adding to the maritime emergency response involving Turkish authorities.
The Turkish Straits region, comprising the Bosphorus and Dardanelles at either end of the Marmara Sea, is among the world’s busiest maritime routes. Large numbers of vessels travel through the waterways each year between the Mediterranean and Black seas, making safe navigation and rapid emergency response critical in the strategically important shipping corridor.
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