Istanbul (Turkey) – Stop by the Bosphorus! The oil tanker “Beria” (250 meters long, 44 meters wide) is currently floating in the channel, an important link between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
On Sunday morning, around 6am local time, a Liberian-flagged heavy oil tanker suddenly ran out of control on one of the world's busiest waterways. The ship had loaded oil from Russia in November last year and was currently heading to Istanbul.
An initial report from Istanbul port authorities referred to an “anchor failure”. Accordingly, the tanker's anchor came unstuck during its voyage to the Mediterranean for unknown reasons. All efforts to recover the anchor failed.
The incident occurred after the tanker crossed the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, which crosses the Bosphorus.
Turkish officials immediately ordered a halt to passage through the narrow waterway. Various tugs are trying to bring the tanker under control.
▶ Sailing through the Bosphorus is considered particularly demanding in shipping. Reason: Current! She reaches speeds between three and eight knots and is considered powerful. The waterway is about 30 kilometers long between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean and is less than 700 meters wide at its narrowest points.
On average, more than 130 container ships and cargoes travel through the Bosphorus every day, subject to strict navigation requirements such as busy canals. Heavy vessels are only allowed to navigate the waterway during daylight hours, and tankers are generally only allowed to navigate the waterway with prior registration and permission and when accompanied by a tugboat.
Tugboats are trying to bring the tanker under control
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