On 7 March a containership and an oil tanker collided off the coast of Beylikdüzü Gürpınar, Istanbul, resulting in damage to both vessels.
The incident occurred when the containership, drifting into the anchorage area, struck the stationary oil tanker, which was anchored five miles offshore. As a result, the oil tanker suffered a rupture in one of its ballast tanks, causing contaminated water to leak into the sea. Reports also indicated that the containership sustained visible damage from the collision.
In response to the situation, the General Directorate of Coastal Safety dispatched tugboats to assist at the scene. The Turkish Coast Guard confirmed that the leaked substance was not oil, though it was still considered a pollutant.
In addition, the oil tanker’s crew worked to patch the damaged ballast tank in an attempt to stop the leak, while the Turkish Coast Guard began examining the containership to assess the damage.
According to the reports, the ownership and operational details of the oil tanker remain unclear. The tanker is registered to a company based in Seychelles, has no listed management, and has not been inspected since 2014.
In 2024, the U.S. sanctioned the vessel, alleging it was falsely registered under Guyana’s flag. However, Guyanese authorities denied any association with the vessel, stating that their registry is closed and does not include it. U.S. officials suspect that the oil tanker may have operated under different names in the past.
