Cargo Ship Sinks Near Istanbul, 10 Crew Members Missing

A Turkish cargo ship has sunk in the Sea of Marmara, near the city of Istanbul, Turkey, after colliding with another vessel. Rescue teams are currently searching for ten crew members of the cargo ship whose whereabouts remain unknown.

The Maritime Directorate of the Turkish Ministry of Transport, as reported by AFP on Wednesday (2/9/2026), reported that the collision between the two ships occurred in the early hours of Wednesday (2/9) local time, in waters located 18 nautical miles off the coast of the Sillivri district, western Istanbul Province.

It was stated that the oil tanker ALSU, which was empty and not carrying any oil cargo, collided with the Tugberk Imamoglu, a cargo ship transporting steel coils. The Tugberk Imamoglu subsequently sank following the collision.

“Because the Tugberk Imamoglu did not respond to any calls and its crew did not answer their mobile phones… the dry cargo ship is believed to have sunk,” stated the Maritime Directorate of the Turkish Ministry of Transport.

The ALSU was known to be sailing to the port of Aliaga in the Aegean Sea, while the Tugberk Imamoglu was en route to the port of Karadenizeregli in the Black Sea. The exact cause of the collision between the two vessels has not yet been clearly determined.

Turkey’s Minister of Transport, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, told reporters that the damaged vessel sank “very quickly.”

“We received an emergency call at 03:26 local time. If we refer to the time of the incident at 03:15 as reported by the ship’s captain, it can be said that the sinking process occurred very rapidly, in just 11 minutes,” said Uraloglu.

“We found lifebuoys and lifeboats, but the lifeboats were empty. Unfortunately, so far, no survivors have been found. Search and rescue operations continue via sea and air,” he added.

Uraloglu noted that there were 10 people on board the sunken cargo ship, consisting of the captain and nine crew members, all of whom are Turkish nationals.

The Maritime Directorate of the Turkish Ministry of Transport stated that 14 ships and one helicopter have been deployed in the search and rescue efforts. The waters where the cargo ship sank are reported to have a depth of approximately 900 metres.

The ALSU, which also sustained damage from the collision, is also participating in the search and rescue efforts.