BARTIN/ANKARA – A Palau-flagged dry cargo ship sank off the coast of Turkey’s Black Sea province of Bartin on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reported according to an official.
Rescue workers managed to save six crew members and reached the body of one other on the Arvin, said Bartin Governor Sinan Guner.
Guner told reporters that two bodies have still not been recovered and there has been a report spotting the other three crew members in a rocky area. Rescue teams are trying to reach the location by land.
He said if a coast guard command helicopter manages to fly in the bad weather, the remaining crew can be saved, adding that a ship belonging to the Naval Forces Command is also on the way.
Guner noted that the rescued personnel are in good health.
The Transport and Infrastructure Ministry said in a statement that the ship broke into two pieces and sank in the area where it was anchored yesterday at 12.35pm.
The statement said that due to adverse weather conditions, the ship had anchored on Friday in the administrative area of Bartin port.
It emphasised that after the accident, the Main Search and Rescue Coordination Centre under the ministry contacted the shipping company’s officials in Ukraine and were informed that 12 crew members were on board.
The Arvin was heading to Burgas Port in Bulgaria before the accident.
In a statement, the National Defence Ministry announced that the country’s navy has deployed a frigate to support the rescue effort.
The ministry said search and rescue activities for the three missing crew members will continue with the Coast Guard Command, Provincial Gendarmerie Command, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority and frigate teams from land and sea.
It added that helicopters are currently unable to take part in search and rescue operations due to bad weather conditions. Following an improvement in the weather, search and rescue efforts will continue from air. – Bernama, January 18, 2021
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