Istanbul(The COW News Digital)A cargo vessel carrying steel coils sank rapidly after colliding with an empty oil tanker in the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul, leaving all 10 members of its crew missing, Turkish authorities said.
The incident occurred in the early hours near Silivri, a western district of Istanbul. According to Turkey’s Transport Ministry, the empty oil tanker ALSU collided with the cargo ship Tugberk Imamoglu while the vessels were operating in the Sea of Marmara.
The cargo ship, which was transporting steel coils, began sinking shortly after the collision. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said authorities received an emergency call at approximately 3:26 a.m., while the collision was believed to have occurred around 3:15 a.m.
The timeline indicates that the vessel went down in roughly 11 minutes, leaving rescue teams with very limited time to respond.
Officials said the accident took place approximately 18 nautical miles from Istanbul’s Silivri district. Following the incident, Turkish search and rescue units were dispatched to the area to locate the missing crew members and assess the situation.
Rescue teams reportedly spotted life buoys and a lifeboat in the vicinity of the sunken vessel. However, the lifeboat was found empty, and authorities had not located any survivors at the time of the initial reports.
Officials confirmed that 10 people, including the ship’s captain, were aboard the cargo vessel when the collision occurred. All of the crew members were Turkish nationals.
Search and rescue operations remain underway as authorities continue efforts to locate the missing crew members. The rapid sinking of the vessel has complicated the rescue operation, with teams working in the area to determine whether anyone may have survived the accident.
The cause of the collision has not yet been established. Relevant authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the movements of both vessels before the crash.
The accident has raised concerns over maritime safety in the busy waters surrounding Istanbul. The Sea of Marmara is an important maritime route connecting the Black Sea with the Aegean through the Turkish straits and is regularly used by commercial vessels.
Authorities are continuing to monitor the area while rescue operations and the investigation into the collision proceed.
