ISTANBUL — Turkey launched a search operation Wednesday off Istanbul’s coastline after two ships collided, resulting in the loss of contact with one vessel and its crew of 10, according to officials.
The collision occurred at 3 a.m. in the Marmara Sea, approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Silivri, a western suburb of Istanbul, the governor’s office said in a statement.
Contact with the crew of the Turkish‑flagged Tugberk Imamoglu was lost after it collided with the Turkish‑flagged Alsu, which showed no damage, according to the governor’s office.
“Numerous naval units from the coast guard’s Marmara and Bosphorus Command and a coast guard helicopter were dispatched to the scene,” the office added.
The 90‑meter (295‑foot) cargo ship Tugberk Imamoglu was en route from Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Iskenderun to Eregli on the Black Sea. The 91‑meter (298‑foot) oil or chemical tanker Alsu was traveling from Kocaeli, east of Istanbul, to Aliaga on the Aegean coast, per Marine Traffic data.
The Turkish Straits—comprising the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits at either end of the Marmara Sea—rank among the world’s busiest shipping lanes, with hundreds of thousands of vessels moving annually between the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
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