Breaking News: 2 ships collide off the coast of Silivri! First images from the scene have arrived
Two ships collided off the coast of Silivri around 03:00 at night. The Istanbul Governor's Office announced that 10 personnel on one of the ships could not be reached. The General Directorate of Maritime Affairs reported that the dry cargo ship named Tuğberk İmamoğlu, which collided with the tanker Alsu, is considered to have sunk as it cannot be reached and the crew is not responding to calls.
12punto
Two Turkish-flagged commercial ships collided off the coast of Silivri. Numerous teams were dispatched to the region following the collision between the ALSU, which was traveling from Kocaeli to Aliağa, and the ship named TUĞBERK İMAMOĞLU, which was en route from İskenderun to Karadeniz Ereğli.
According to initial findings, there was no visible damage to the ship named ALSU. However, it was reported that communication could not yet be established with the 10 personnel on board the ship named TUĞBERK İMAMOĞLU.
STATEMENT FROM THE ISTANBUL GOVERNOR'S OFFICE
In a statement made by the Istanbul Governor's Office, it was stated, "On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at approximately 03:00, 18 miles south of Silivri, the Turkish-flagged commercial ship named ALSU, traveling from Kocaeli to Aliağa, collided with the Turkish-flagged commercial ship named TUĞBERK İMAMOĞLU, traveling from the port of İskenderun to Karadeniz Ereğli. Numerous maritime units and a coast guard helicopter affiliated with the Coastal Safety, Coast Guard Marmara and Straits Command were dispatched to the scene."
10 PERSONNEL CANNOT BE REACHED
The Governor's Office statement included the following: "According to initial findings by the units that arrived in the region, it was observed that there is no visible damage to the ship named ALSU. However, contact cannot currently be established with the commercial ship named TUĞBERK İMAMOĞLU and the 10 personnel on board, and search and rescue efforts by the units in the region are continuing."
Search and rescue efforts by Coastal Safety and Coast Guard teams are ongoing in the area.
"CONSIDERED TO HAVE SUNK"
The General Directorate of Maritime Affairs issued a statement regarding the accident that occurred.
In the statement, where it is assessed that the dry cargo ship named Tuğberk İmamoğlu may have sunk, it was stated: "As the Tuğberk İmamoğlu ship is not responding to any calls and the mobile phones of the personnel on the ship are not being answered despite being called by the AAKKM (Main Search and Rescue Coordination Center), the dry cargo ship Tuğberk İmamoğlu is considered to have sunk, and search and rescue activities have been urgently initiated and are being carried out by the teams of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety and the Coast Guard Command."
An emergency signal received at 03:26 from the EPIRB device (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) of a ship within the traffic separation scheme in the Sea of Marmara (at the location off Silivri) by our Satellite-Aided Search and Rescue System (COSPAS-SARSAT) is being investigated… pic.twitter.com/plaNMQYghJ
— DENİZCİLİK GENEL MÜDÜRLÜĞÜ (@denizcilikgm) September 2, 2026
The statement also noted that the Alsu tanker involved in the accident is actively participating in the search and rescue efforts.
LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT FOUND ON THE SEA SURFACE
In the statement, which reported that life-saving equipment belonging to the Tuğberk İmamoğlu ship was found on the sea surface, it was stated that no ship personnel were found inside the equipment.