The Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul has been closed due to the grounding of a cargo ship on route from the Ukraine to Turkey. The MKK 1, a Palauan flagged vessel, was involved in an incident on Monday, however there was reportedly no damage or leaks as a result. The Turkish coastguard authorities claimed that several tugs were among the vessels dispatched to rescue the 142-meter (466-foot) ship.
As seen on television, the ship ran aground near the Asian coast of the Bosphorus, with her bow strewn with 13,000 tons of peas. Umuryeri, located between the second and third Bosphorus bridges, was the scene of the attack. According to weekend reports from the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which manages United Nations-brokered Black Sea grain deal activities, the ship was its route from Pivdennyi in Odesa, Ukraine, to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Mersin. After suffering a rudder failure, the dry cargo ship reportedly ran aground close to shore in Istanbul’s Beykoz neighborhood at around 7:30 a.m. (04:30 GMT). Exports of Ukrainian grain have been taking place across the Black Sea and the Bosphorus Strait since July. The agreement lifted an embargo that had prevented grain exports from Ukraine for the last few months as a result of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The Black Sea and Russian and Ukrainian ships can pass via the Bosphorus on their way to the Dardanelles Strait and the Mediterranean Sea. This is not the first time an incident like this has forced the closure of the Bosphorus to ships. While transporting grain from Ukraine, the Lady Zehma ran aground in September, briefly closing the channel. A cargo ship that had grounded in Egypt’s Suez Canal was refloated only last week.
The MV Glory grounded in the Suez Canal province of Ismailia, close to the city of Qantara. One of the biggest cargo ships ever built obstructed the Suez Canal in March of 2021, causing a halt in international trade. In the midst of strong gusts and a dust storm, the Panamanian-flagged Ever Given lost control and ran aground across the narrow southern canal.
