The Liberian-flagged cargo ship “Songa Iridium” experienced engine failure while voyaging south in the Bosphorus, which lead to the vessel running aground ashore in Istanbul, Turkey.
Specifically, the incident took place on Friday, December 27. During that time, the vessel had 19 crewmembers onboard, as well as a pilot.
According to reports, there were no injuries or pollution reported by the grounding; However, the vessel and the embankment it hit have been damaged.
Following the grounding, authorities came to the rescue, with tugs refloating the vessel, which now remains at anchorage.
The incident sparked discussions around the acceleration of Turkey’s plan on constructing a canal in order to reduce the traffic caused by a number of cargo ships sailing through the Bosphorus.
In detail, in early 2018 Turkey revealed its “Kanal Istanbul” project, which would link the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara west of the Bosphorus, experiencing backlash from the Turkish government, which commented that it is a “crazy project”.
