Two Turkish-flagged commercial vessels collide off Istanbul, governor's office says

Two ​Turkish-flagged commercial vessels collided ‌off Istanbul ​in the Sea of Marmara on Wednesday and contact has been lost ‌with one of the ships, the Istanbul governor's office said.

The Turkish-flagged Alsu, en route to the Aegean port of Aliaga, ‌and the Turkish-flagged Tugberk Imamoglu, en route to the Black ‌Sea port of Karadenizeregli, collided off the Silivri district of Istanbul at around 3 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Wednesday, the governor's office said ⁠in ​a statement. Coast ⁠guard ships and helicopters were dispatched to the scene for search and ⁠rescue, and there was no visible damage on the Alsu, ​the statement said. But authorities were unable to establish contact ⁠with the Tugberk Imamoglu and its 10 crew members.

According to data ⁠from ​the Istanbul Chamber of Maritime Commerce, the Tugberk Imamoglu, owned by Zeybe Denizcilik, operates as a bulk carrier, ⁠while the Alsu, owned by Ozpulathane Deniz Tasimaciligi, operates as a ⁠chemical ⁠tanker. The search and rescue operation was still under way, the governor's office statement said.