SAR Operation Underway for 10 Missing Crew After Turkish Ships Collide
Multiple Turkish agencies are assisting in a search and rescue operation looking for 10 missing crewmembers from a small Turkish general cargo ship. They suspect the vessel, Tugberk Imamoglu (4,598 dwt), sank after colliding with a Turkish-flagged product tanker in the Marmara Sea early on September 2.
Turkey’s Directorate General of Maritime Affairs reports that a signal was detected from an EPIRB device around 0330 local time on September 2. The captain of the tanker Alsu (3,338 dwt) also reported a collision with an unidentified vessel approximately 18 miles south of Silivri, located west of Istanbul on the Marmara Sea.
The authorities determined the signal was coming from the cargo ship and commenced a search. They report that the Coordination Center was unable to contact the vessel. It also attempted to call the crewmembers on their mobile phones and received no response.
Tanker Alsu was assisting in the search after colliding with the cargo ship (DGMA)
Searchers located the vessel’s free-fall lifeboat, and there was no one aboard. Other debris has also been spotted on the sea surface. A helicopter and 14 maritime search and rescue units were participating in the SAR operation along with the tanker Alsu.
Built in 1990, the Tugberk Imamoglu is a 90-meter (295-foot) general cargo ship. It was transporting 4,200 tons of coiled steel from Iskenderun to Eregli, a port on the Black Sea. The tanker, which the authorities said was traveling empty, was coming from Kocaeli bound for Aliaga. The Alsu is a 91-meter (298-foot) product tanker. Both vessels are Turkish-owned and flagged.
There was no official comment on weather conditions or visibility issues at the time of the collision.
Turkey Detains Crew from Tanker Involved in Collision
Turkish authorities have detained nine of the 10 crewmembers from the tanker Alsu that was involved in a collision with a Turkish cargo ship on Wednesday as the search and rescue operation continued. Prosecutors provided additional details as the investigation was launched while also reporting that no survivors had been located from the cargo ship.
The collision happened approximately 18 miles south of Silivri in the Sea of Marmara. A team of experts was assembled to begin the investigation, and in a preliminary statement, they now believe the cargo ship Tugberk Imamoglu sank within 10 minutes of the collision. They received the first emergency signal at 0326 on Wednesday and believe the ships collided at 0315. Efforts to contact the ship and attempts to call the crew’s registered mobile phone numbers received no responses.
Prosecutors said that radio records indicate the captains of the two vessels communicated before the collision. They believe that this indicates that both crews had seen the other vessel and that they were discussing their routes to pass. Prosecutors said they will be listening to the actual recording.
The French news agency AFP (Agence France-Presse) is reporting that prosecutors are looking at “multiple breaches of safety procedures.” An inexperienced officer was alone on the bridge without a lookout or helmsman. The tanker made no effort to slow or reverse engines to avoid the collision. Equally, the cargo ship’s AIS was not functioning, and the Tugberk Imamoglu is reported to have suddenly altered course to starboard when the ships were within 0.5 nautical miles of each other, veering across the tanker's bow.
As many as 15 vessels, five helicopters, two drones, and an aircraft, as well as forces from the Turkish Navy, have been scouring the Sea of Marmara for signs of the missing cargo ship. They found a lifeboat, life rings, and other debris, but no signs of the 10 crewmembers, who were all Turkish nationals.
The tanker Alsu, which was traveling empty, was ordered to anchor, and the crew is being interviewed. They are being detained aboard the ship. Prosecutors said nine of the crewmembers, excluding the cook, are under suspicion. Reports indicate that initial tests found no indication of alcohol, but blood tests were still underway.
An initial visual inspection of the Alsu showed no signs of damage above the waterline. Divers were reportedly being called in to do a further survey of the vessel. In the meantime, prosecutors ordered the collection and preservation of navigation, radar, and communication records.
Government officials said they, so far, have not been able to locate the wreck of the cargo ship, but they suspect it sank in waters about 900 meters (2,950 feet) in depth. The depth in the area is reported to be between 800 and 1,000 meters. They are working with the Navy to secure assets to conduct further underwater searches and to eventually survey the wreck.
Prosecutors were expected to quickly bring the case before the court in the Istanbul region.
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