The cargo ship MKK 1, traveling from Ukraine to Turkey grounded in Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait on Monday after which traffic in the strait was suspended. Still, no damage was reported, shipping agents Tribeca said.
According to the coastguard Authority, Several tugboats were among the vessels sent to provide assistance to the ship. Media reports said it was refloated with the help of Turkish tugboats a few hours later. Marine traffic websites showed the ship slowly moving through the Bosphorus.
Television footage showed the ship’s bow, carrying 13,000 tonnes of peas, grounded close to the coastline on the Asian side of the Bosphorus.
The Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which runs United Nations-brokered Black Sea grain deal operations, had previously reported on the weekend that the ship was traveling from Pivdennyi near Odesa, Ukraine, to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Mersin.
The Istanbul Governor’s Office stated that the dry cargo ship ran aground very close to shore in the Beykoz district at approximately 7:30 am (04:30 GMT) due to a rudder failure.
The Bosphorus is one of the most important straits in the world, connecting the Black Sea, and ships from Russia and Ukraine to the Dardenelles Strait, through which ships enter the Mediterranean Sea.
