Turkish cargo ship sinks after collision with tanker off Istanbul, 10 crew missing
Quick Look
- A Turkish cargo ship, the Tugberk Imamoglu, sank within 11 minutes after colliding with the Turkish-flagged tanker Alsu in the Marmara Sea off Istanbul on Wednesday, leaving 10 Turkish crew members missing with no signs of survivors.
- Search and rescue operations involving helicopters and vessels are underway, and an investigation has been launched by Turkish authorities.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Tugberk Imamoglu was a 90-metre cargo ship traveling from Iskenderun to Eregli, while the Alsu was a 91-metre oil or chemical tanker sailing from Kocaeli to Aliaga. The collision occurred in the Marmara Sea off Istanbul at approximately 3 am local time.
A Turkish cargo ship carrying 10 crew members sank on Wednesday after colliding with a tanker off the coast of Istanbul, with no immediate signs of survivors, Turkish authorities said.
A lifeboat and other debris from the Tugberk Imamoglu have been found, but there has been no sign of the crew, Turkey's General Directorate of Maritime Affairs said in a statement.
“There are 10 seafarers on board, including the captain,” Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said. “They are all Turkish. We can say that the sinking occurred rapidly in 11 minutes. No one has been found alive.”
Two helicopters and 12 search and rescue vessels were searching the area.
The ship collided with the Turkish-flagged tanker Alsu in the Marmara Sea at around 3 am (2 am CEST), according to the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs. An emergency signal was received from the Tugberk Imamoglu, with the first rescue vessel reaching the area at around 4:10 am (3:10 am CEST).
“It is assessed that the Tugberk Imamoglu vessel sank, because it did not respond to any calls and the mobile phones of the personnel on board went unanswered,” the maritime directorate said.
The Alsu's captain had reported the collision as happening at 3:15 am, with 14 search and rescue vessels dispatched to the area backed by a helicopter, it said.
What do we know so far?
The directorate's head, Unal Baylan, said the ships had been communicating with each other by radio immediately prior to the collision indicating “that the two captains saw each other and were talking to each other to adjust their routes,” he told a news conference.
The owner of the Tugberk Imamoglu said the ship's captain had contacted the Alsu before the collision, warning that the tanker was entering the cargo vessel's shipping lane.
“Despite this, according to our initial findings, the collision occurred as a result of M/T Alsu’s navigational movements and our ship sank shortly afterward,” the statement from Imamoglu Denizcilik said.
Turkish news agency DHA reported that radio recordings showed the Tugberk Imamoglu's captain warning the Alsu to steer to port in an attempt to avoid the collision.
The Alsu's owners did not immediately respond to the claim.
The 90-metre cargo ship was travelling from the Mediterranean port of Iskenderun to Eregli on the Black Sea. The 91-metre Alsu, an oil or chemical tanker, was sailing from Kocaeli, east of Istanbul, to Aliaga on Turkey's Aegean coast, according to MarineTraffic.
The Silivri Public Prosecutor’s Office said it had launched an investigation into the sinking.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The Silivri Public Prosecutor’s Office will release preliminary findings on the cause of the collision within weeks.
Likely · Within weeks
Search and rescue operations will continue for several more days before shifting to recovery efforts if no survivors are found.
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What specific navigational error caused the Alsu to enter the Tugberk Imamoglu's shipping lane?
- Why did the Tugberk Imamoglu sink so rapidly despite the collision?
- Are there any survivors still unaccounted for in the search area?
- What will the investigation by the Silivri Public Prosecutor’s Office determine regarding liability?
