A major search and rescue operation is under way for 10 Turkish seafarers missing after their cargo ship sank following a collision in the Sea of Marmara in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The Turkish-flagged Tuğberk İmamoğlu collided with another Turkish vessel, the tanker Alsu, at around 3.15am on Wednesday, 2 September, approximately 18 nautical miles (33-35km) south of Silivri, on the western outskirts of Istanbul.
Türkiye's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said an emergency signal was received from the Tuğberk İmamoğlu at 3.26am, suggesting the cargo ship sank extraordinarily quickly – around 11 minutes after the collision.
There were 10 people aboard, including the captain, all Turkish nationals.
Despite an extensive operation involving Coast Guard and coastal safety vessels, helicopters and Turkish Navy assets, no member of the crew had been found at the time of writing.
Rescuers have recovered life-saving equipment belonging to the Tuğberk İmamoğlu, including its free-fall lifeboat, which was found empty.
The 90-metre cargo vessel had been travelling from İskenderun, on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast, to Karadeniz Ereğli on the Black Sea, carrying around 4,200 tonnes of rolled sheet steel and construction materials.
The Alsu, which was travelling from Kocaeli to Aliağa, was empty at the time of the collision and did not sustain major visible damage, according to initial assessments. It subsequently joined the search operation.
Authorities say the sea is around 800 to 900 metres deep at the site of the sinking, making efforts to locate and examine the wreck considerably more difficult. The cause of the collision has yet to be established.
The accident comes just three days after the Filo Jet passenger ferry disaster off the coast of Girne, North Cyprus, in which at least eight people died and 20 remain missing. Turkish naval and specialist deep-sea teams are already involved in that separate search and recovery operation.
Main image, top, of the Tuğberk İmamoğlu cargo shop travelling along the Dardanelles, Türkiye, on 27 July 2019. Photo © Ersen Akten / Vesselfinder
