On July 14, 2024, the Panama-flagged cargo ship “VOLGO-BALT 213” ran aground in Tirilye Neighborhood, stopping just 6-7 meters from the shore.
After assessment, the ship was successfully towed away from where it grounded using ropes connected to the Rescue-2 tugboat. The vessel, carrying 2,200 tons of compressed animal feed from Russia to Gemlik Port, had allegedly run aground due to the third captain falling asleep near Ayani Church.
Karaya oturan VOLGO BALT 213 gemisinin 2 günlük kendi imkanları ile kurtulma çalışmaları başarısız olmuştur. Genel Müdürlüğümüze ait dalgıçlar ve deniz araçları ile geminin oturduğu yerden çıkarılarak yüzdürülebilmesi için kurtarma çalışması başlatılacaktır. https://t.co/GFfaJ8OLyP
— KEGM (@kiyiemniyet) July 16, 2024
Emergency response teams from KEGM, maritime police, coast guard, and Bursa Provincial Gendarmerie Command were mobilized. Fortunately, the 12-member crew (comprising 9 Azerbaijanis and 3 Ukrainians) were reported safe and in good health despite damage to the ship’s front section.
As Andrew Russ, Marine Surveyor at Standard P&I Club has explained to SAFETY4SEA, fatigue has been found to be the major contributing factor in 82% of the 66 recorded groundings and collisions occurring between 0000 and 0600 hours.
