site.btaPreliminary Report Points to Watchkeeping Failures in Marmara Ship Collision

The tanker Alsu, which collided with the cargo ship Tugberk Imamoglu in the Sea of Marmara, had no lookout or helmsman on the bridge at the time of the accident, according to a preliminary report cited by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet on Thursday.

The report, prepared for the Silivri Chief Prosecutor’s Office, identified poor bridge discipline, failure to follow watchkeeping standards and loss of situational awareness as the main causes of the accident. Two crew members were resting simultaneously, while the third captain - who had joined the ship only the previous day and was considered inexperienced - was the only person on duty. The ship’s captain was asleep and reached the bridge about seven minutes after the collision.

Experts concluded that the collision could likely have been avoided if Alsu had had a proper lookout and an experienced captain on the bridge. The tanker suffered only minor scratches and no damage that would have caused it to take on water.

The cargo ship Tugberk Imamoglu sank within about 11 minutes, reportedly after its port side was ruptured. It went down 18 nautical miles off Silivri at a depth of approximately 800–900 meters, carrying steel coils and construction reinforcement.

Search operations for its 10-member Turkish crew continued for a second day, involving naval and coast guard vessels, aircraft, helicopters and an unmanned aerial vehicle. Empty lifeboats and life belts have been found, but no crew members have been located. Meanwhile, nine crew members of “Alsu” were detained as part of the investigation.