A Turkish cargo ship sank early Wednesday in the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul following a collision with a second vessel, prompting ongoing search and rescue efforts for 10 missing crew members. The collision occurred approximately 18 nautical miles off the Silivri district on the western edge of Istanbul province.

According to Turkey’s Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, the cargo ship Tugberk Imamoglu, carrying rolled steel, sank shortly after the collision. The other ship involved, the ALSU, an empty oil tanker, was not damaged and is assisting in the rescue operations. Both vessels were reportedly navigating one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors, which connects the Mediterranean and Black seas through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits.

The collision took place shortly before dawn, with emergency calls and rescue dispatches beginning around 3:15 a.m. The Transport Ministry’s maritime directorate reported that the Tugberk Imamoglu sank rapidly, within approximately 11 minutes after the incident. Rescue vessels and a helicopter were deployed promptly, with about 14 ships involved in the search.

Efforts to contact the Tugberk Imamoglu’s crew—10 Turkish nationals including the captain—have been unsuccessful, and no survivors have been found. Life-saving equipment from the vessel, including a lifeboat and life buoys, were located at sea but were empty. The depth at the sinking site is estimated at around 900 meters.

The exact cause of the collision remains unclear. The Tugberk Imamoglu’s owner expressed frustration over the incident, noting that the captain had repeatedly warned the tanker ALSU about its proximity ahead of the collision, but received no response. Experts suggested human error as a likely factor given the heavily trafficked nature of the Sea of Marmara and its function as a maritime highway.

According to available information, the ALSU had been traveling from Kocaeli in northwest Turkey to the western port of Aliağa, while the Tugberk Imamoglu had departed from İskenderun in southern Turkey, destined for the Black Sea. Search and rescue operations are continuing by air and sea as authorities work to locate the missing crew members.