A cargo vessel is believed to have sunk in the Marmara Sea following a collision with a tanker. The two vessels collided 18 miles off the coast of Silivri, a district on Istanbul’s European side, at around 3.15am (1.15am BST) this morning, according to a statement.
Contact has been lost with the 10 crew members on board of the cargo vessel, the Republic of Turkey’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure said in a statement on X. At 3.41am local time, the Turkish-flagged commercial vessel Alsu, which was carrying 2,999 tons of motor oil, alerted the ministry that it had collided with an unidentified vessel. Following an examination it was determined the Alsu ship, which was en route from Kocaeli to Aliağa, had collided with the commercial cargo vessel Tugberk Imamoglu.
The first maritime unit arrived at the scene at 4.10am local time.
The Tugberk Imamoglu vessel was transporting 4,199 tons of coiled steel sheet from İskenderun to Karadeniz Ereğli. The ministry said 14 maritime search and rescue units and one helicopter were deployed to the scene.
Authorities say they have been unable to establish contact with the commercial vessel Tugberk Imamoglu or its 10 crew members.
Upon arrival the authorities discovered life-saving equipment belonging to Tugberk Imamoglu on the sea surface but no members of the crew were detected inside them.
It has been assessed that the Tugberk Imamoglu vessel has sunk.
A spokesperson for the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure said: “Due to the Tuğberk İmamoğlu vessel failing to respond to any calls and the crew members’ mobile phones not being answered despite attempts by the Search and Rescue Coordination Center, it is assessed that the Tuğberk İmamoğlu dry cargo vessel has sunk.
“Search and rescue operations are being urgently initiated and conducted by teams from the Directorate General of Coastal Safety and the Coast Guard Command.”
Initial assessments have found no damage to the Aslu tanker, and the vessel is participating in the search and rescue efforts.
The ministry said developments regarding the maritime accident are being monitored, and the public will be informed.
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