Video: Geared Bulker Hits Coastal Freighter off Istanbul

 

[Brief] On Thursday, a freighter dragged anchor off the coast of Istanbul and struck another anchored ship, startling the crew and causing minor damage. 

The yard-and-stay geared bulker Marla Orca anchored off Kartal - a district of Istanbul on the Sea of Marmara - on the afternoon of November 4. She had completed a voyage from Egypt to the Sea of Marmara, and declared her destination as "Kroman," the name of a large steel fabrication plant in nearby Kocaeli. 

At about 0500 GMT on November 21, in strong southerly winds, the Orca dragged anchor and made contact with the coastal freighter DSK1, which was also at anchor. A crewmember of the DSK1 caught the incident on camera as the Orca banged into the freighter's port side, and he recorded a flurry of VHF calls back and forth as the watchstanders on both ships discussed the unexpected situation.  

Orca soon drifted free, and under power, she repositioned to another location in the anchorage. Both vessels remained in position as of Sunday.