Turkey’s Directorate General of Maritime Affairs reported a collision between the Turkey-flagged general cargo vessel Tugberk Imamoglu and oil tanker Alsu on 2 September. Ten Crewmembers of the cargo vessel are reportedly missing.
The collision occurred at around 3:15 am local time, and at 3:26 am the emergency signal from Tugberk Imamoglu was received by Turkey’s satellite-aided COSPAS-SARSAT search and rescue system. At around 3:41 am, the captain of tanker Alsu also reported about the incident.
Authorities tried to reach the vessel Tugberk Imamoglu but received no response, while calls to crew members’ mobile phones also went unanswered. At around 4:10 am, a search and rescue operation was immediately launched, with the 14 maritime search and rescue teams dispatched to the area.
Authorities subsequently assessed that the Tugberk Imamoglu sank and intensified the search and rescue operation. Turkey’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety, the Coast Guard Command and tanker Alsu joined in the search and rescue operation.
