Ghost ship on Aegean coast spreads fear

İZMİR – Doğan News Agency

AA Photo

A Panamanian-flagged “ghost ship” off the coast of İzmir has once again spread fear after it was dragged by wind miles before it ran ashore, hitting a small fishing port on Feb. 11.

The empty and unmanned Gofer B, which was anchored off the shores of İzmir’s Çandarlı town, was dragged 25 miles by a storm before hitting a small fishermen’s shelter in Karaburun, another small settlement in the province of İzmir.

The ship was seized before being anchored off Aliağa, a trade port, but was dragged on Feb. 1, hitting the shores of Çandarlı, again causing fear. It was also dragged in October 2012, months after it was seized for unpaid debts.

Coast guards warned other ships and boats in the region as the Gofer B went out of control on Feb. 10 as the 2,965-ton ship sank small boats in the Karaburun Bay at midnight.

In contrast to the damage at sea, no buildings on the shore, including a now-empty hotel, were damaged on the bay, where tourists swim during the summer.