Turkish Cargo Ship Sinks After Collision off Istanbul

By Staff, Agencies

A Turkish cargo ship sank in the Sea of Marmara off Istanbul after colliding with an empty oil tanker early Wednesday, with search and rescue operations underway for its 10 Turkish crew members.

The Tugberk Imamoglu, which was carrying 4,200 tons of steel coils and reinforcing bars, collided with the tanker ALSU about 18 nautical miles off Silivri and sank within around 11 minutes, according to Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu.

Authorities said the crew's phones became unreachable after the collision, prompting an immediate search operation.

Life buoys and a lifeboat were found at sea, but no crew members were inside, and no survivors had been found.

Fourteen vessels and a helicopter are taking part in the search, while the sunken cargo ship lies in waters around 900 meters deep.

The ALSU was damaged in the collision but is also participating in the rescue operation. Authorities clarified that the tanker was empty and was not carrying the 3,000 tons of motor oil initially reported.

The Tugberk Imamoglu is a Turkish-flagged cargo ship built in 1990 and measuring 90 meters in length.