Two Turkish-flag merchant vessels collide near Istanbul; ten crew missing
Coast guard ships and helicopters are conducting a search after collision near Silivri; contact lost with the cargo vessel Tugberk Imamoglu.
Two Turkish-flag merchant vessels collided last night in the Marmara Sea near Istanbul, and authorities have lost contact with one of the ships, leaving ten crew members unaccounted for, officials said.
"The vessel 'Alsu' under the Turkish flag, sailing to the Aegean port of Aliağa, and the vessel 'Tugberk Imamoglu', also under the Turkish flag, en route to the Black Sea port of Karadeniz Eregli, collided last night near Istanbul's Silivri district," the governor's office said.
Coast guard ships and search-and-rescue helicopters were dispatched to the scene. Inspectors reported no visible damage to Alsu, but attempts to reach Tugberk Imamoglu failed and its ten crew members could not be contacted.
Search and rescue operation
The Istanbul Chamber of Maritime Commerce said Tugberk Imamoglu is owned by Zeybe Denizcilik and operates as a cargo vessel. Alsu, owned by Ozpulatane Deniz Tasimaciligi, is registered as a chemical tanker. Teams on the water and in the air continued combing the area for the missing sailors.
Local authorities said the search-and-rescue operation remains ongoing. No further details about possible causes of the collision have been released so far.
Photo: Гугл мапс
