ISTANBUL: A Turkish cargo ship carrying 10 crew members sank in the Marmara Sea off Istanbul early Wednesday after colliding with another vessel, prompting a major sea-and-air search operation, Turkish authorities said.
The 90-metre Turkish-flagged Tugberk Imamoglu, which was carrying about 4,200 tonnes of rolled steel and reinforcing bars, collided with the ALSU, an oil tanker, about 18 nautical miles off Silivri, on the western outskirts of Istanbul province.
The cargo vessel sank shortly after the collision, while authorities have so far found no sign of its 10-member crew.
Two Turkish cargo ships collided off Silivri, Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara at 03:15 this morning.
The Tuğberk İmamoğlu (carrying 4,199 tons of steel coil) sank in 11 minutes at ~800-900m depth.
All 10 Turkish crew members missing.
Emergency lifeboat and life jackets found… pic.twitter.com/TbAy4pdakl
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 2, 2026
The Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Ministry’s Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said the Tugberk Imamoglu stopped responding to calls following the collision and its crew members could not be reached on their mobile phones.
Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the emergency call was received at 3:26am, while the ship’s captain had reportedly indicated that the collision occurred at around 3:15am.
“If we accept the captain’s reported time of 0315, we can say the sinking occurred very rapidly, within just 11 minutes,” Uraloglu told reporters. Rescuers found life buoys and the ship’s lifeboat in the sea, but there was no one inside.
“Unfortunately, no survivors have been found so far. Search and rescue operations are continuing by sea and air,” the minister said. The 10 people aboard the vessel – the captain and nine other crew members – were all Turkish nationals, according to the transport ministry.
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The ship sank in waters around 900 metres deep, significantly complicating the rescue operation. Authorities deployed 14 vessels and a helicopter to search the area, while the damaged ALSU also joined the effort.
TURKISH CARGO SHIP SINKS after collision in Marmara Sea
The Tugberk Imamoglu sank within 11 minutes after colliding with the Alsu, with all 10 crew members missing
Search-and-rescue teams are racing to find survivors off Istanbul’s Silivri coast
Source: İHA pic.twitter.com/kv0UTGGiS6
— RT (@RT_com) September 2, 2026
The maritime directorate said the lifeboat and other life-saving equipment belonging to the Tugberk Imamoglu had been recovered from the sea, but the missing crew members were not found with them.
The ALSU sustained damage in the collision. Initial reports from the maritime authorities said the tanker was carrying around 3,000 tonnes of motor oil, but officials later clarified that it was empty at the time of the accident.
According to vessel-tracking data, the Tugberk Imamoglu was built in 1990 and was operating under the Turkish flag. The vessel was carrying rolled sheet metal and reinforcing steel when it sank.
The accident comes only three days after a separate maritime tragedy off Northern Cyprus, where eight Turkish nationals were killed in a ferry accident. Search teams were still looking for another 20 people reported missing in that incident.
Authorities have not yet announced the cause of Wednesday’s collision or explained why the cargo ship sank so rapidly. The search for the missing crew members remains under way.
