Cargo vessel crashes into bollard on Istanbul's Bosphorus

ISTANBUL

A cargo vessel crossing through the Bosphorus in Istanbul crashed into a bollard next to Aşiyan Cemetery on Dec. 27.

Songa Iridium, a Liberian-flagged cargo vessel departing from Odessa port of Ukraine, ran ashore at the Rumeli Hisarı 25 minutes after entering the Bosphorus Strait.

Rescue boats from the General Directorate of Coastal Safety were dispatched to the scene.

No loss of life due to the accident was reported.

The cargo vessel was 191-meters (626-feet) long and weighted over 23,500 gross ton.

'No marine and environmental pollution'

"The Liberian flagged cargo vessel, accompanied by 19 crew and a harbor pilot, passing through the Bosphorus Strait, gave a machine malfunction signal and hit the shore at Rumeli Hisarı at 12:13," the Governor's Office said in a statement issued on Dec. 27.

"Rescue works have started with tugboats and as of now there is no marine and environmental pollution," it said.

"Three vessels behind the Songa Irıdium have safely passed through the strait, one tanker ship was anchored with safety and the strait passage was suspended," it noted.

"The ship hitting the shore will be taken to the Istanbul Port by the tugboats of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety," it said.