6 Crew Members Wanted After Cargo Ship Sinks in Sea of Marmara: Sunken Ship Location Determined
Rescue operation underway for sunken commercial ship off the coast of Bursa
The Bursa Governorship has reported that a large-scale search and rescue operation is currently underway for the commercial ship BATUHAN A, which sank off the coast of Karacabey. The ship was carrying 1250 tons of marble dust and had 6 personnel on board when it departed from the Marmara Island Badalan Port on Wednesday, February 14.
The Coast Guard Marmara Straits Regional Command Operations Center received a distress call at 06:32 on Thursday, February 15, alerting them to the sinking of the BATUHAN A, which occurred 4 miles off the north of Karacabey. Since then, multiple agencies including AFAD, Coast Guard, Marine Police, Gendarmerie, and UMKE have been involved in search and rescue efforts.
The operation has so far utilized 6 rescue boats, 1 Coast Guard corvette, 1 helicopter, and 1 reconnaissance patrol plane. Additional resources including a Naval Forces Command rescue ship, a minelayer, and a tugboat belonging to the General Directorate of Coastal Safety will also be deployed in the coming hours to aid in the search and rescue efforts.
As of now, the Coast Guard corvette, multiple Coast Guard boats, and a Coastal Police team with an underwater robot device are actively involved in the search and rescue activities. The Bursa Governorship has confirmed that the operation is ongoing and that the authorities are making every effort to locate and assist the crew of the sunken commercial ship.
