03.09.2026 21:50
In the Marmara Sea, the accident in which the ship Tuğberk İmamoğlu sank has led to the 1st and 3rd captains of the ship ALSU being referred to court with a request for arrest. Search efforts continue for the 10 missing sailors from the İmamoğlu ship.
Approximately 18 miles south of the Silivri coast, in the early hours of September 2, the Turkish-flagged commercial vessel named ALSU, en route from Kocaeli to Aliağa, collided with the Turkish-flagged commercial vessel named Tuğberk İmamoğlu, which was sailing from the Port of İskenderun to Karadeniz Ereğli.
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE REQUESTED THE ARREST OF TWO CAPTAINS
Initial inspections in the region revealed that no visible damage was found on the vessel named ALSU. While search efforts continued for the 10-member crew of the vessel with which communication could not be established, an investigation was launched by the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the incident. Within the scope of the investigation, the 1st and 3rd captains of the ALSU vessel, who were detained, were referred to court with a request for arrest.
EXPERT REPORT REVEALED
Meanwhile, the preliminary expert report on the accident was revealed. In the report, the cause of the accident was assessed as "bilateral bridge discipline failure, complete abandonment of watchkeeping standards, and loss of situational awareness."
Within the scope of the investigation launched by the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the accident, it was stated that the AIS device of the TUĞBERK İMAMOĞLU vessel being off, malfunctioning, or not working adequately due to external interference, and its turn to starboard in the final 0.5 miles contrary to the radio agreement, were the active triggers that physically initiated the collision.
"WATCHKEEPING STANDARDS COMPLETELY ABANDONED"
In the report, it was stated that the main cause of the missing disaster was 'bilateral bridge discipline failure, complete abandonment of watchkeeping standards, and loss of situational awareness'. The report said, "The active trigger factor that physically initiated the collision was the TUĞBERK İMAMOĞLU vessel sailing with its AIS device turned off and turning to starboard in the final 0.5 miles contrary to the radio agreement. However, the underlying root cause behind this trigger factor resulting in a disaster is the bridge deficiency on the M-T ALSU vessel."
"THE DISASTER COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED"
According to the assessment of the expert committee, if the maneuver of the opposing vessel could have been detected from a distance of 1.5-1.8 miles instead of 0.5 miles, emergency maneuvers could have been carried out by the ALSU. In the report, it was assessed that if the engine had been stopped or emergency astern had been given in time, the collision could have been completely prevented, or the force of the impact could have been minimized, preventing the sinking of the TUĞBERK İMAMOĞLU.
CRITICAL VIOLATIONS DETECTED ON BOTH VESSELS
In the report, it was stated that there was only one officer on the bridge of the ALSU vessel who had joined the vessel only one day before the accident and was keeping their first navigational watch on this vessel, and that no lookout or helmsman had been assigned. It was also noted that the captain was not on the bridge during the accident and came to the bridge approximately 7-10 minutes after the collision.
Regarding the TUĞBERK İMAMOĞLU, the failure of the AIS system and the turn to starboard in the final 0.5 miles, contrary to the maneuver agreed upon in the radio communication, were listed among the critical defects.
NEW EVIDENCE REQUESTED FOR THE CAUSE OF SINKING
The expert committee also pointed out that the reason why the TUĞBERK İMAMOĞLU sank so quickly after the collision needed to be investigated separately. In this context, it was requested to examine the vessel's loading plan, cargo securing documents, stability calculations, class and survey records, as well as camera footage from the time of loading.
The report also requested that all VHF radio conversations before the accident, extended VTS radar recordings, and external camera footage of the ALSU vessel be added to the investigation file.