The Turkish authorities on Monday succeeded in refloated a stranded cargo ship in the Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul after tugboats towed the stranded ship in the strait until it returned it to its track.
Earlier on Monday, the navigation stopped in the Bosphorus Strait for security reasons, after a ship coming from Ukraine ran aground.
Anadolu Agency reports that the MKK-1 bulk carrier, which was carrying 13,000 tons of peas, ran aground after its steering failed.
Turkish General Directorate of Coastal Safety stated in a statement that a cargo ship bearing the name MKK-1 ran aground after it broke down while on its way from Ukraine to Istanbul, and docked in the Amuriri region.
It added that rescue ships and boats were directed to the location of the 142-meter-long vessel. It indicated that the traffic of ships in the strait was temporarily suspended.
In another tweet, the Turkish coastguard authority said, “The ship named MKK-1 was rescued from its location and floated after the inspection of our fishman team, and anchored in Büyükdere under the coordination of our Istanbul VTS Center, accompanied by our Rescue Specialist, NENE HATUN Ship, NAZIM TUR, KURTARMA-8, 9 Tugboats and KEGM-8 Boat.”
There were no reports of damage or spillage of the cargo.
The Bosphorus Strait connects between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, and it is considered, along with the Dardanelles Strait, the southern border between the continent of Asia and Europe. Its length is 30 km, and its width ranges between (550 meters and 3000 meters).
The movement of ships in the strait is considered one of the most important points of maritime navigation in the world, and according to the data of the Turkish Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the number of ships passing through the Bosphorus Strait reached 41 thousand and 112 ships in 2019.
