Nine people aboard the Turkish-flagged commercial vessel Alsu have been detained following a collision with another Turkish-flagged vessel off Istanbul that led to the second ship sinking, with its 10-member crew still missing.
The collision occurred at around 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday, approximately 18 nautical miles south of Silivri, when the Tuğberk Imamoğlu, which was sailing from Kocaeli to Aliağa carrying coiled sheet metal and construction steel, collided with the Alsu.
The Tuğberk Imamoğlu sank following the collision, while authorities continue search-and-rescue efforts to locate its 10 crew members.
The Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is conducting a judicial investigation into the accident. Nine of the 10 people aboard the Alsu, excluding the cook, have been treated as suspects and have given statements aboard the vessel.
The suspects are being kept aboard the Alsu under gendarmerie supervision while the judicial and administrative investigations continue, with authorities also taking the vessel’s safety into consideration.
