A Tanzanian-flagged dry cargo vessel named RAPID has run aground off the coast of Kandıra in Kocaeli, Türkiye, due to adverse weather conditions. The 81-meter-long ship, carrying 2,135 tons of gypsum from Bartın Port to Ukraine, drifted ashore near Kefken Pembe Kayalıklar.
Following the distress call, Türkiye’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety, Coast Guard Command, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), gendarmerie, and firefighting teams were dispatched to the scene. Kandıra District Governor Ömer Lütfi Yaran also inspected the site and received updates from officials.
The vessel had seven crew members onboard — six Ukrainians and one Iranian. All were successfully evacuated by a Coast Guard helicopter and transferred for procedures at the Coast Guard Command.
In a statement, the Kocaeli Governor’s Office confirmed that Coast Guard vessels and specialized diving and rescue teams were mobilized for the operation. Authorities also reported that no environmental pollution has occurred as a result of the grounding.
Eyewitness Sezer Doğan, 85, told reporters he noticed the ship’s lights while waking up for morning prayers. “We counted seven lights, one red among them. My daughter called the gendarmerie immediately. In the morning, we saw how big the ship was. The weather was rainy and very windy at the time,” he said.
Rescue operations to refloat the grounded vessel are ongoing.
Source: AA