A search operation was launched off the coast of Istanbul on Wednesday after two ships collided, resulting in contact being lost with one vessel and its crew of 10, officials stated. The collision occurred at 3 a.m. in the Marmara Sea, approximately 20 miles south of Silivri, a western suburb of Istanbul, according to a statement from the Istanbul governor’s office.
The ship identified as the Tugberk Imamoglu, a 90-meter cargo ship flagged to Turkey, lost contact following the collision with the Turkish-flagged Alsu. The Alsu appeared undamaged. The governor's office reported that numerous naval units from the coast guard’s Marmara and Bosphorus Command, along with a coast guard helicopter, were dispatched to the scene.
The Tugberk Imamoglu was en route from Iskenderun on Turkey's Mediterranean coast to Eregli in the Black Sea. The Alsu, a 91-meter oil or chemical tanker, was traveling from Kocaeli, east of Istanbul, to Aliaga on the Aegean coast, according to Marine Traffic data. The Turkish Straits, encompassing the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, are among the world's busiest shipping lanes, with hundreds of thousands of vessels transiting annually between the Mediterranean and Black Seas.