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The list of maritime incidents in the Turkish Straits is a listing of major maritime casualties that occurred in the
Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
and
Dardanelles The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...
Straits in
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
. Shipping accidents are a threat to the maritime environment and to human life in the highly populated areas around the straits. These two straits are among the busiest and most critical seaways in the world, and because of the Bosphorus's status as the narrowest strait used for international navigation, maritime disasters have been common.


Bosphorus

The Bosphorus is a narrow "S-shaped" channel of complex nature with several sharp turns and headlands, which prevent a proper look-out, and with changing currents. Such geographical and oceanographic conditions make the navigation, open to international shipping, very difficult and risky. The density of maritime traffic in the Bosphorus, which links the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
to the
Marmara Sea The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via the ...
, has increased elevenfold from around 4,400 ships passing annually in 1936, when the
Montreux Convention The (Montreux) Convention regarding the Regime of the Straits, often known simply as the Montreux Convention, is an international agreement governing the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits in Turkey. Signed on 20 July 1936 at the Montreux Palace ...
was signed to regulate transit and navigation in the Straits, to an average of 48,000 vessels per year recently. With 132 vessel transits daily, not including local traffic, it ranks second to the Malacca Straits in density. During the period from 1953 to 2002, 461 maritime incidents occurred in the Istanbul Strait or in its southern entrance at the Marmara Sea. The majority were collisions. * December 14, 1960 –
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
n-flagged M/T ''Petar Zoranić'' of Croatian operator from Zadar ''Jugotanker'' (today Tankerska plovidba), carrying 12,065 tons of highly inflammable 90-octane benzine and 11,330 tons of diesel fuel, collided with the
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
tanker M/T ''World Harmony'' at Kanlıca Point. 20 ship's officers and crew died, both masters included. 18,000 tons of oil spilled and caused pollution. Fire lasted for some weeks and suspended transit traffic. The Turkish vessel ''Tarsus'' crashed into the ''Zoranić'' and burnt with it. * September 15, 1964 -
Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...
-flagged vessel ''Norborn'' collided with the wreck of ''Petar Zoranić'' at Kanlıca Point. Fire broke out and oil spilled. * March 1, 1966 – Two
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
-flagged vessels, M/T ''Lutsk'' and M/T ''Kransky Oktiabr'', collided at
Maiden's Tower __NOTOC__ The Maiden's Tower ( tr, Kız Kulesi), also known as Leander's Tower (''Tower of Leandros'') since the medieval Byzantine period, is a tower on a small islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait, from the coast of Ü ...
Point. 1,850 tons of oil spilled, caught fire and caused the Turkish passenger ferryboat ''Kadıköy'' and the ferry boat terminal of
Karaköy Karaköy (), the modern name for the old Galata, is a commercial quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, located at the northern part of the Golden Horn mouth on the European side of Bosphorus. Karaköy is one of the oldest an ...
to burn completely. * July 3, 1966 – Turkish passenger ferryboat ''Yeni Galatasaray'' collided with the lumber-carrying Turkish coaster ''Aksaray''. 13 people died in the following fire. * November 18, 1966 – Turkish passenger ferryboat ''Bereket'' hit the
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n-flagged ''Ploeşti''. 8 people drowned. * July 1, 1970 –
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
vessel ''Ancona'' ran ashore and caused the collapse of a building under construction. 5 people died. * December 27, 1972 – Two Turkish vessels, the passenger ferryboat ''Turan Emeksiz'' and the cargo ship M/V ''Sönmezler'', collided. 5 people died. * April 21, 1979 – Romanian-flagged vessel M/V ''Karpat'' collided with the Turkish ship M/V ''Kefeli''. 11 people died. * November 15, 1979 - Romanian-registered tanker M/T ''Independenţa'' collided with Greek freighter M/V ''Evriali'' at
Haydarpaşa Haydarpaşa is a neighborhood within the Kadıköy and Üsküdar districts on the Asian part of Istanbul, Turkey. Haydarpaşa is named after Ottoman Vizier Haydar Pasha. The place, on the coast of Sea of Marmara, borders to Harem in the northwest ...
Point and exploded. 42 people died on the tanker. 94,600 tons of crude oil spilled and the following fire lasted weeks. * April 2, 1980 – Greek ship M/V ''Elsa'' collided with the Soviet vessel M/V ''Moskovosky''. Two people died. * November 9, 1980 - British vessel ''Nordic Faith'' collided with Greek-flagged ship ''Stravanda''. Fire broke out. * September 24, 1985 –
Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establis ...
fast attack boat TCG ''Meltem'' collided with a Soviet Navy warship. ''Meltem'' sank and five Turkish marines died. * October 29, 1988 – Maltese-registered
ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous ...
carrier M/T ''Blue Star'' collided with the Turkish crude oil tanker M/T ''Gaziantep'', which was at anchor at Ahırkapı Point. 1,000 tons of ammonia spilled into the
Marmara Sea The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via the ...
. * March 25, 1990 –
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
i tanker M/T ''Jampur'', carrying gasoline, collided with the Chinese-flagged bulk carrier M/V ''Da Tung Shang'' at Sarıyer Point. 2,600 tons of oil spilled from ''Jampur'' and caused severe pollution. * November 14, 1991 -
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
-flagged M/V ''Madonna Lily'' collided with the Lebanese-flagged livestock carrier M/V ''Rabunion XVIII'' at
Anadoluhisarı Anadoluhisarı ( en, Anatolian Castle), known historically as Güzelce Hisar ("the Beauteous Castle") is a medieval Ottoman fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey on the Anatolian (Asian) side of the Bosporus. The complex is the oldest surviving ...
Point. 5 people died. 21,000 sheep drowned in the sunk Lebanese vessel and their corpses caused major pollution. * March 13, 1994 – Crude oil carrier M/T ''Nassia'' collided with the bulk carrier M/V ''Shipbroker'', both
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
-registered. 27 people were killed. 9,000 tons of petroleum spilled and 20,000 tons burnt over four days, severely affecting the marine environment. Traffic in the strait was suspended for several days and ''Shipbroker'' burnt totally. * December 29, 1999 -
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
n tanker M/T ''Volganeft-248'' grounded at Florya Point with 4,000 tons of fuel oil on board and split into two pieces. 1,500 tons of oil spilled to the sea. Clean-up operation of the contaminated recreational beaches took about two years. * October 7, 2002 - Maltese vessel M/V ''Gotia'' stranded at Bebek Point. 22 tons of oil spilled, causing environmental damage to the boats in the marina and the structures at the waterfront. * November 10, 2003 - Georgian-flagged cargo ship GGC ''Svyatoy Panteleymon'' ran aground off Anadolufeneri and broke in two. Around 500 tons of oil spilled and caused pollution. * May 4, 2013 - The ferries ''Erdem Karadeniz'' and ''Kalamis'' collided in heavy early-morning fog, injuring four passengers. * September 6, 2013, the Turkish general-cargo ship ''Erhan Araz'' (IMO 8512059) ran aground near Beykoz. * September 14, 2013 - Togolese general cargo ship ''Captain Omar'' (IMO 7396654) experienced engine failure during transit of the straits. She was towed to Beykoz. * October 1, 2013 - Turkish general cargo ship ''Anafarta'' (IMO 6720066) took on water at the Black Sea entrance to the strait. She was intentionally grounded to prevent her from sinking. The crew were safely taken off. * October 22, 2013 - Cambodian general cargo ship ''Volgo-Balt 193'' (IMO 8230302) suffered a mechanical problem in transit near Maiden's Tower that required her to be towed to a safe harbor. * October 28, 2013 - Maltese chemical tanker ''YM Miranda'' (IMO 9554755) suffered an engine fire in the straits. In distress, the master deployed one or more anchors. These destroyed one fiber-optic undersea cable and damaged another near Anadolu Hisari. The straits were closed as tugboats rendered assistance. * November 13, 2013 - Liquid propane gas tanker ''Tala'' (IMO 8012114) suffered an engine failure requiring the assistance of a tug.LPG tanker Tala suffered engine failure in Bosphorus, Marine Bulletin, 13 November 2013


Dardanelles

* April 4, 1953 - Turkish Navy submarine TCG ''Dumlupınar'' collided with the
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
-flagged freighter M/V ''Naboland''. ''Dumlupınar'' sank with the loss of 81 of the 86 submariners aboard.


Shipwrecks

The number of
shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...
s as of 2000 within the Turkish Straits is as follows (totaling 35): * 23 in the Istanbul Strait * 3 in the Marmara Sea * 9 in the Çanakkale Strait


Footnotes


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Maritime Incidents In The Turkish Straits Maritime incidents in Turkey Maritime incidents Turkish Straits Turkish Straits