Details of the investigation launched by the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the ship accident have been revealed. The records of both ships will be examined.
In the accident that occurred 18 miles south of Silivri in the morning hours of September 1, the Turkish flagged 90-meter-long commercial ship named Alsu, going from Kocaeli to Aliağa, and the commercial ship named Tuğberk İmamoğlu, going from İskenderun Port to Karadeniz Ereğli, collided.
While it was reported that contact was lost with 10 personnel on the ship named Tuğberk İmamoğlu after the accident, search and rescue efforts at sea by the General Directorate of Coastal Safety and Coast Guard Command teams continue. An investigation was launched into the accident by the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
In the investigation carried out by the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the ship accident, the statements of 9 personnel on the ship named ALSU were taken. The suspects, who were kept on the ship accompanied by the gendarmerie, will be referred to the courthouse today. Coast Guard teams are conducting an inspection on the ship named Alsu.
2 CAPTAINS WERE ARRESTED AND 4 PEOPLE WERE GIVEN A JUDICIAL CHECK
6 of the 9 suspects detained on the Alsu ship regarding the accident in which two Turkish flagged commercial ships collided off the coast of Silivri were referred to the courthouse. Two captains among those dispatched were arrested, and judicial control orders were issued for two others.
According to the news in AA, the investigation launched by the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office after the ship named Tuğberk İmamoğlu sank as a result of the collision of the Turkish-flagged commercial ship named "Tuğberk İmamoğlu" and the Turkish-flagged commercial ship named "Alsu", loaded with rolled sheet metal and rebar, which was sailing from Kocaeli to Aliağa, approximately 18 nautical miles south of Silivri, and the 10-person crew on the ship could not be reached.
Within the scope of the investigation, 9 of the 10 people on the Alsou ship involved in the accident, except the cook, were processed as suspects and their statements were taken on the ship.
As the investigation and administrative investigation file continued, it was learned that the suspects were kept on the ship accompanied by the gendarmerie, taking into account the security of the ship.
An expert committee was appointed by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to determine the faults of the people involved in the incident. It was stated that after the preliminary report to be prepared by the committee is submitted to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office today, it will be determined which suspects will be referred to the courthouse and instructions will be given to prepare them at the courthouse as available.
It was learned that no alcohol was detected in the tests performed on the suspects on the ship and blood tests were also performed on the suspects for detailed examination. 6 suspects, whose statements were completed on the ship, were referred to Silivri Palace of Justice. The suspects' statements were taken by 2 public prosecutors. Alsou's 1st and 3rd captains were arrested, and a judicial control order was issued for 4 people. It was learned that divers will inspect the underwater parts of the Alsu ship.
In addition, in the statements of the suspects, it was stated that 2 or 3 people from the crew of the Tuğberk İmamoğlu ship were on the deck before the ship sank, and although there is no evidence or sign that they survived, it is possible to reach the bodies of these people if they died, but the wreckage of the ship has not been reached yet.
On the other hand, Coast Guard Marmara and Straits Regional Commander Rear Admiral Serkan Tezel and Coast Guard General Manager Mustafa Bankaoğlu also followed the search and rescue efforts on the TCSG GÜVEN ship belonging to the Coast Guard Command.
PRELIMINARY EXPERT REPORT HAS BEEN PREPARED
On the other hand, a preliminary expert report was prepared regarding the accident in Silivri. "Alsu violated the lookout rule," the report said.
According to the news of DHA, the preliminary report was revealed after the expert examination on the ship named ALSU within the scope of the investigation into the ship accident carried out by the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The report stated that "The main reason for the loss disaster was 'Double-Sided Bridge Indiscipline, Complete Abandonment of Watch Standards and Loss of Situational Awareness'. The report stated that the sinking could have been prevented if a lookout had been kept on the ALSU ship.
In the report, it was stated that the collision took place at 03.13, and that the ALSU ship, where the Tuğberk İmamoğlu ship sank rapidly due to the tearing on the port side, did not suffer any major damage that would prevent navigation or cause water intake, except for light abrasions on the starboard side.
"His TURNING TO STARBOARD IN THE LAST 0.5 MILES WAS THE ACTIVE TRIGGERING FACTOR THAT PHYSICALLY STARTED THE CONFLICT"
The report stated that the main reason for the loss disaster was 'Double-Sided Bridge Indiscipline, Complete Abandonment of Shift Standards and Loss of Situational Awareness'. The report stated, "The fact that the Tuğberk İmamoğlu ship turned off its AIS device and turned to starboard in the last 0.5 miles, contrary to the radio agreement, is the active trigger factor that physically started the conflict. However, the main root cause behind why this trigger factor ended in a disaster is the bridge vulnerability on the M/T ALSU ship."
"IF A WATCHER HAD BEEN PRESENT, THE SINKING COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED"
The report stated, "If ALSU had kept an experienced Captain and an additional watchman on the bridge by complying with the 'Watch Condition B' rule in its own safety manual (BMM); Tuğberk İmamoğlu's uncontrolled starboard turning maneuver could have been detected at a distance of 1.5-1.8 miles instead of 0.5 miles. In accordance with COLREG Rule 8, the conflict could have been completely prevented by immediately stopping the machines or giving an emergency astern, or the impact severity could have been reduced to a minimum." "The sinking of Tuğberk İmamoğlu could have been prevented. The single, inexperienced officer on the bridge could not analyze this situation in time and the door to the disaster of loss of life was opened. There is no image record of the ship Tuğberk İmamoğlu in the VTS images submitted to the file by the Coastal Safety General Directorate Ship Traffic Services. However, the Tuğberk İmamoğlu ship was seen on the ECDIS screen of the Alsu ship."
'GHOST SHIP' DETAIL
The report also stated the following in the Defects and Violations section of the Tuğberk İmamoğlu Ship:
Tuğberk İmamoğlu ship created a serious navigational hazard for other ships and VTS stations in the region by sailing in 'ghost ship' mode as the AIS device was Off/Faulty/Not Working/or not working adequately as a result of external intervention. The ALSU ship was able to detect this target as a radar echo only 1.8 miles away. This situation directly hindered early warning and safe passage planning.
Violation of the VHF Radio Agreement: Although it was stated in the radio conversations that it was understood to avoid the port, the opposing ship suddenly steered hard to starboard and cut ALSU's bow line with 0.5 miles remaining, which is the operational defect that physically started the accident.
INSPECTION WAS MADE ON THE ALSU SHIP
According to the news by Arzu Kaya from Habertürk, divers examined the underwater parts of the ship within the scope of the investigation. Additionally, within the scope of the statements taken, it is stated that two or three people were on the deck of the ship before it sank. Although there is no evidence or sign that they were rescued, there is a possibility of reaching the bodies of these people if they died.
RECORDS OF BOTH SHIPS WILL BE EXAMINED
According to İHA's news, it was reported that within the scope of the investigation, information regarding the shipowner and operator companies of both ships and company officials was obtained, and the necessary instructions were given to obtain records, documents and digital data from the relevant companies to shed light on the incident.
ALSU ship's navigation, route and maneuver information, bridge and machinery records, VDR (Voyage Data Recorder), ECDIS and AIS/GPS data, logbooks and maneuver books, voyage plan, crew and shift charts, ship and class certificates, cargo records, photographs and video records were also requested to be kept within the scope of the investigation.
Registry documents, certificates, class documents, port state control reports and administrative investigation files for both ships were requested from the Istanbul Regional Port Authority. The General Directorate of Coastal Safety was requested to send VHF/radio communications of the ships, radio conversations between the ships and Vessel Traffic Services (VTS), and radar, route, movement and maneuver records, covering the 12 hours before the incident.
RADIO RECORDINGS WERE ALSO REQUESTED
After the incident, it was seen that some radio conversations between the captains of ALSU and Tuğberk İmamoğlu ships were published in the media and open sources. It was reported that the records in question had not yet reached the investigation file through the official authorities, and that the VHF/radio and VTS communication records of both ships were requested from the General Directorate of Coastal Safety in order to ensure the original and complete conversations. It was stated that the investigation file also included recordings of the radio conversations between the Coast Guard elements and the ALSU ship after the incident, and that the conversations were examined and recorded.
SEA POLLUTION HAS OCCURRED, WORK HAS BEEN STARTED
Upon detection of pollution on the sea surface in the area where the Tuğberk İmamoğlu ship sank, an instruction was given to carry out research and investigations to determine the nature, source and spread of the pollution and to take the necessary health and environmental measures in order to evaluate the risks it may pose to the environment and human health.
