Divers find shipwreck in Black Sea amid cleanup works

ARTVIN

Members of the Black Sea Divers Sports Club stumbled upon the wreckage of a steamship at a depth of 50 meters, measuring approximately 100 meters in length, while conducting a dive to clean up ghost nets in the Black Sea.

Fishermen along the shores of Hopa, a district in Artvin province located in the Black Sea region, reached out to the Black Sea Divers Sports Club for assistance in cleaning up ghost nets that were causing economic losses and fish fatalities. Working within a 5-kilometer radius through diving operations, club members encountered the steamship wreckage. Despite examining the wreckage, the divers were unable to ascertain the name of the ship due to ghost nets covering it.

Rıza Birkan, the president of the Black Sea Divers Sports Club, expressed concern over the impact of ghost nets surrounding the shipwreck. "We observed a wreck approximately 1.5 to 2 nautical miles from the coast. In our initial measurements, we located the rear section of the ship. It was 53 meters long and 11 meters wide, with depths ranging between 50 and 55 meters."

"We determined that the nets surrounding the wreck were causing harm to marine life, with many organisms becoming entangled. Approximately 1.5 meters of the wreck is buried in the seabed, while 4.5 to 5 meters are above the seabed. The first step in dealing with the wreck is to remove the nets.", Birkan added.

Erdinç Turanlı, the vice president of the club, estimated that around 10 tons of ghost nets were entangled around the wreckage, proposing a project to remove them.

Turanlı noted the assurance of assistance from Rize Mayor Rahmi Metin in addressing the issue of ghost nets. Once removed, efforts would focus on identifying the ship's name and cargo, which could be revealed upon clearing the nets.

Turanlı also highlighted the presence of hundreds of dead fish within the nets, emphasizing the urgent need for their removal to prevent further harm to marine life.