Istanbul Strait reopens to shipping after cargo vessel malfunction resolved

Maritime traffic in the Istanbul Strait resumed on Sunday after being temporarily suspended in both directions due to a mechanical failure on a dry cargo vessel off the coast of Besiktas.

In a statement, Türkiye’s General Directorate of Coastal Safety said the 185-meter-long dry cargo ship Zaltron, sailing from Egypt to Russia, experienced an engine malfunction off Kurucesme.

The statement said tugboats Kurtarma-3, Kurtarma-5 and Kurtarma-9 were urgently dispatched to the scene, while vessel traffic in the Bosphorus was halted in both directions as a precaution.

In a later update, officials said the vessel was safely anchored at the Ahirkapi Anchorage Area under the coordination of the Istanbul Vessel Traffic Services Center, accompanied by a pilot captain, with Kurtarma-3 and Kurtarma-5 assisting and Kurtarma-9 towing.

Maritime traffic in the Istanbul Strait has since been reopened, the statement added.