Search teams continued efforts on Sept. 7 to locate the 10 crew members of the cargo ship Tuğberk İmamoğlu, which sank after a collision off Istanbul’s Silivri district, as the operation entered its sixth day.
The Turkish-flagged vessel collided with the tanker Alsu at around 3 a.m. on Sept. 2, approximately 18 nautical miles south of Silivri.
The Tuğberk İmamoğlu was sailing from İskenderun to Karadeniz Ereğli, while the Alsu was traveling from Kocaeli to Aliağa.
The Turkish Navy’s TCG Akın located the wreck at a depth of 720 meters and used a remotely operated underwater vehicle to confirm its identity.
Surface and deep-sea searches continued as relatives of the missing crew waited at a liaison center established on the Silivri coast. Officials were regularly briefing the families on the operation.
Search off Turkish Cyprus continues
In a separate operation, the TCG Alemdar and TCG Işın continued searching for 14 people missing after the Filo Jet passenger ferry sank off Turkish Cyprus’ Kyrenia on Aug. 30.
The ferry, which operated between Kyrenia and Taşucu in Türkiye’s southern Mersin province, began taking on water shortly after leaving port and sank while attempting to return.
Of the 267 passengers and crew aboard, 239 were rescued. Fourteen people have been confirmed dead and 14 remain missing.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said the TCG Alemdar remained in the search area, while the TCG Işın had temporarily left to refuel and would return afterward.
The vessels were working in rotation during refueling and maintenance to ensure that the operation continued without interruption, he said.
“The search is not being halted. On the contrary, existing capabilities are being strengthened to make the operation more effective,” Üstel said.
He added that reports on possible cooperation with private companies equipped for deep-water search and recovery operations were being assessed in Istanbul.
Şerif Özdemir, 67, one of the victims, was buried in Silifke on Sept. 7 beside her husband Hüseyin Özdemir, who also died in the sinking.
