29.10.2026 17:00
The Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker M/T Golden Sapling, which was attacked by armed drones in the Black Sea in August and ran aground off Samsun, was escorted by tugboats through the Bosphorus. During the passage, the Bosphorus was closed to transit ship traffic in both directions. It was learned that the heavily damaged tanker will be taken to the shipbreaking facility in Aliağa, Izmir, for dismantling.
The Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker M/T Golden Sapling, which was heavily damaged in a drone attack in the Black Sea and ran aground off Samsun, caused the Bosphorus to be temporarily closed to two-way ship traffic due to its passage through the Istanbul Strait.
IT WAS ATTACKED BY A DRONE IN AUGUST
The Hong Kong-flagged oil and chemical products tanker M/T Golden Sapling, which was hit by an armed drone attack in the Black Sea in August and drifted aground, reached the Istanbul Strait after a salvage operation. The 147.8-meter-long, 19,455 deadweight ton (DWT) tanker, operated by Singapore-based Chem Pool Management, proceeded under tow by the offshore tug "Aras Salvor" belonging to Aras Marine. It was stated that tugboats KEGM Kurtarma 8 and KEGM Kurtarma 11, affiliated with the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, also accompanied the operation.
IT WILL BE TAKEN TO ALIAĞA FOR SCRAPPING
It was learned that after the tanker's transit procedures are completed, it will be taken to Öge Shipbreaking Facilities in İzmir Aliağa for scrapping and recycling. To ensure the safe passage of the strait, the Istanbul Strait was suspended to two-way transit ship traffic, while the passage of the M/T Golden Sapling tanker was filmed from the air.