Two Turkish-flagged commercial ships collided in the Sea of Marmara off Istanbul in the early morning of Wednesday, 2 September, and authorities were unable to make contact with one of the vessels and its 10 crew members in the accident, the Turkish shipping company said.
Istanbul governor's office said the collision took place off Istanbul's Silivri district at 3 am local time. An emergency search and rescue operation was launched after authorities lost contact with the ship carrying the 10 crew members.
The Alsu, which was sailing to the Aegean port of Aliaga, and the Tugberk Imamoglu were sailing to the Black Sea port of Karadenizeregli.
Collision Reported Off Istanbul
The governor's office of Istanbul said the two Turkish-flagged vessels collided in the Sea of Marmara during the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Coast guard ships and helicopters were sent to the area to search for the vessel and its crew after the collision, officials said. No visible damage was done to the Alsu, one of the two ships that were involved in the collision.
However, officials were unable to reach the Tugberk Imamoglu. The ship had 10 crew members on board, and their whereabouts were not known at the time of this latest update.
The search and rescue operation continues, and the search for the missing vessel continues, and what happened after the collision is to be found.
10 crew members remain unaccounted for.
The immediate concern after the collision is the safety of the 10 people aboard the Tugberk Imamoglu.
The Istanbul governor's office confirmed that contact had been lost with the ship and its crew. Search teams were sent by sea and air as authorities sought to find the vessel.
There was no word on the condition and location of the 10 crew members at the time of the report. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing and their status is unknown.
So the incident remains an active rescue operation and not a loss-of-life incident. There have been no deaths in the collision so far, officials said.
What we know about the two ships?
The vessels in the collision are used for different reasons.
According to data from the Istanbul Chamber of Maritime Commerce, the Tugberk Imamoglu is a bulk carrier and is owned by Zeybe Denizcilik.
The Alsu, on the other hand, is a chemical tanker and is owned by Ozpulathane Deniz Tasimaciligi. Both vessels were under the Turkish flag when the collision occurred.
The Alsu was heading towards Aliaga, an important port on Turkey's Aegean coast. The Tugberk Imamoglu was traveling in the opposite direction towards Karadenizeregli, a port on Turkey's Black Sea coast.
The information available at the time does not indicate what caused the two vessels to collide. Neither of the ships or crew members has yet been publicly blamed and no reason has been given.
Search And Rescue Operation Underway
After the incident, Turkey’s coast guard sent ships and helicopters to the area.
The rescue teams were searching for the Tugberk Imamoglu and the 10 people who were on board. The governor's office said the operation was still on in its statement.
The Sea of Marmara is an important maritime waterway between Turkey's European and Asian territories. It links the Black Sea with the Aegean Sea via the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, making it an important route for commercial shipping.
The collision occurred around Silivri, a district on Istanbul's western side along the Sea of Marmara.
Investigation Likely To Follow
Investigators will also need to determine how and when the collision occurred as search teams continue to search for the missing crew members.
The information released so far does not give a cause for the crash. Details such as the ships' movements just before the collision and the cause of the loss of contact with the Tugberk Imamoglu have not been established publicly.
We will still focus on the 10 crew members for now.
The governor of Istanbul said the search and rescue operation was continuing and coast guard vessels and helicopters were involved. The missing crew and the condition of Tugberk Imamoglu were also to be followed with updated information as the search continues.
