Abandoned Tanker Driven Ashore in Turkey Weeks After Attack off Russia
Turkish authorities are once again dealing with an abandoned tanker that washed up on its shores as a casualty of the ongoing war in the Black Sea. In the latest instance, which happened on Monday, the hulk of an abandoned product tanker was driven ashore as fierce storms overtook the region.
Media reports said the area in the Black Sea near Istanbul was experiencing winds up to 50 mph. Sea conditions were very rough, and rainfall was causing flooding in parts of the city.
The tug Athletic (571 dwt), registered in Cameroon, was moving the hulk when the storm made it impossible to manage. High seas and wind caused the tow line to break, and the tug was unable to maneuver to regain control of the abandoned tanker. The tug ultimately sought shelter in the port of Igneada.
The product tanker, Grace Romavictor (49,990 dwt), was caught in the waves and winds and ended up ashore in the Cilingoz Nature Park, northwest of Istanbul. It is unclear what the plan had been and if the vessel was possibly being towed to Turkish recyclers.
The tanker had reportedly been struck by a Ukrainian drone on August 31 while it was off Novorossiysk in the Black Sea. The crew was reportedly uninjured but was evacuated from the vessel. The ship, which was built in 2012, was managed from Dubai. The tanker is 183 meters (about 600 feet) in length.
Media reports have shown several vessels, mostly the smaller ones from the Sea of Azov attacks, that washed up abandoned in Turkey. The Istanbul Regional Port Authority is reported to be working on organizing a salvage operation to remove the tanker. Initial surveys showed no oil leaks, and the hulk is believed to be mostly empty.
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This incident comes about a week after Bulgarian authorities reported another, larger abandoned dry bulk carrier had drifted toward their shorelines. They were tracking the wreck of the bulker Emil, which was spotted approximately 40 nautical miles east of Cape Shabla in northeast Bulgaria, just south of the Romanian border, a month after it was abandoned. Bulgarian media reports said a salvage tug had taken control of this vessel late last week and was moving it away from the shoreline.
Bulgaria was forced last December to respond to another wreck that had been damaged in a Black Sea attack. A tug had abandoned the tanker Kairos, and it had drifted close to the shore, prompting a rescue operation. The tanker was moved to a sheltered anchorage, but there were reports earlier this year that it was leaking oil before a cash buyer was scheduled to tow it away from Bulgaria.
