Statement from the Bursa Governor's Office regarding the ship that sank in the Sea of Marmara

The Bursa Governor's Office announced that the distress call from the cargo ship "Batuhan A," which took on water and sank southwest of İmralı Island in the Sea of Marmara with a crew of 6, was made at 06:28, and the EPIRB (a system that automatically sends signals and location information to satellites in case of danger) signal was received 4 minutes later.

In a written statement from the Governor's Office, it was recalled that the commercial ship "Batuhan A," which had 6 personnel on board, departed from the Badalan Port on Marmara Island at 20:30 on February 14 with a cargo of approximately 1250 tons of marble dust.

The statement, which noted that the ship was sailing toward Gemlik Port, shared the following information: "It was determined that while proceeding on its planned route, it changed its course first to the north and then to the south at around 01:30, and subsequently made a distress call to Türk Radyo at 06:28. No danger or distress call was made from the commercial ship 'Batuhan A' during the time elapsed until this distress call was received. Subsequently, upon the receipt of the EPIRB signal by the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center at 06:32, the Coast Guard unit TCSG 313, located at the nearest station, departed at 06:50 and proceeded to the scene."

The statement also reported that TCSG 313 reached the point where the EPIRB signal originated at 07:30, and that no floating objects or the ship "Batuhan A" were encountered as a result of the surface search.

Noting that detection and identification activities are being continued urgently and that other Coast Guard units have been directed to the region, the statement included the following expressions:

"Furthermore, it has been determined that the navigation information of the ship does not align with reports in some media outlets that Hüseyin Tutuk, one of the 6 personnel on board the commercial ship 'Batuhan A,' sent a message to his wife via the internet at 06:09 about their situation and shared a video at 06:19. It was determined that the first request for assistance from the ship in question and the first information regarding the ship's sinking were transmitted to Türk Radyo at 06:28, and subsequently, the EPIRB signal was received at 06:32, after which the Coast Guard unit TCSG 313, located at the nearest station, immediately began its transit to the region where the EPIRB signal originated at 06:50. Since that time, search and rescue operations to reach the ship's crew have been continuing without interruption, and all resources and capabilities are being mobilized."

News Source: AA