Key facts
- A collision occurred between the Turkish cargo ship Tugberk Imamoglu and the Turkish-flagged tanker ALSU in the Sea of Marmara.
- The Tugberk Imamoglu, carrying rolled steel, sank rapidly within approximately 11 minutes of the collision.
- Ten crew members on board the Tugberk Imamoglu are missing and presumed lost.
- Rescue operations involving numerous vessels and aircraft are ongoing.
- An investigation into the cause of the collision has been initiated.
Turkish rescue teams continued their search on Thursday for 10 crew members missing after the cargo ship Tugberk Imamoglu sank off the coast of Istanbul following a collision with the ALSU oil tanker in the Sea of Marmara. The collision occurred 18 nautical miles off the Silivri district.
The Tugberk Imamoglu, which was carrying rolled steel, is believed to have sunk within approximately 11 minutes of the crash. The ALSU, an empty oil tanker, was not damaged. Authorities stated that the Tugberk Imamoglu did not respond to calls, and the crew's mobile phones went unanswered, leading to the assessment that the ship had sunk.
Search operations involve the coast guard, navy, disaster management agency, and other emergency services, deploying 18 vessels, five helicopters, two drones, an aircraft, and a naval vessel equipped for underwater searches. Life buoys and an empty lifeboat belonging to the Tugberk Imamoglu have been found at sea, but no survivors have been located. The depth of the water where the ship sank is approximately 900 meters.
Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu confirmed that all 10 individuals on board the Tugberk Imamoglu were Turkish nationals. An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway. The owner of the Tugberk Imamoglu suggested the tanker did not heed warnings from the cargo ship's captain prior to the collision.