On March 7, 2025, the "Orita" was in allision with the shadow tanker "Mia" in the Sea of Marmara, five nautical miles off Gürpınar in the Beylikdüzü district, where the container ship was moored at anchorage 3. The unloaded tanker went NUC and drifted towards the 'Orita', which had left Gemlik on March 7 en route to Sulina. When the port side impacted the bow of the 'Orita' about amidships, a ballast tank was ruptured. Dirty water leaked into the sea. The first response vessel to arrive was the tug 'Efes 10' (IMO: 1031692), which secured the area, while the authorities assessed the situation. Later, the 'Kurtarma 2' (IMO: 8959764) was deployed by the General Directorate of Coastal Safety. The crew of 'Mia' attempted to fix an emergency patch to stop the leakage from the damaged ballast tank. Meanwhile, the Turkish Coast Guard began investigating the 'Orita' to determine the extent of the impact on the container ship, which had suffered visible dents from the collision. As of March 10, the 'Mia' was moored in pos. 40° 57' N 028° 35' E and the 'Orita' in pos. 40° 57' N 028° 35' E. The ownership and operational background of the 'Mia' was still unknown. The tanker is registered for a Seychelles-based company, has no listed management, and has not undergone an inspection since 2014. The USA have sanctioned the vessel in 2024, claiming that it was falsely registered under Guyana’s flag. The Guyanese authorities denied any connection, stating that their registry was closed and did not include the vessel. US officials suspected that the 'Mia' has operated under different identities in the past, possibly using names such as 'Magus' and 'Freedom'. It has had seven names since 2013. The insurer is unknown. Reports with photo and video: https://www.7deniz.net/beylikduzunde-petrol-tankeri-konteyner-gemisine-catti https://fullavantenews.com/sanctioned-tanker-struck-by-containership-off-turkey-leaks-polluted-water/
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JESSICA B
On the morning of Feb 27, 2025, the cargo m/v 'Friends RS 1' (IMO: 7382665) was in allision with the 'Jessica B' in the port of Gemlik, when she was maneuvering to depart from the port stern ahead, and hit the 'Jessica B' at its berth with the port side aft. The 'Jessica B' suffered a puncture at starboard side above the waterline, leading to the discharge of ballast water into the sea under pressure. Authorities initiated a damage assessment on site. The 'Friends RS 1' dropped anchor off Gemlik at 8.50 a.m. UTC in pos. 40° 25' N 029° 05' E. An investigation was launched regarding the extent of any environmental impact and assess potential pollution in the surrounding waters. The 'Jessica B' berthed in Tuzla on March 4, while the 'Friends RS 1' was detained following the investigation and remained moored off Gemlik as of March 10.
MIA
On March 7, 2025, at around 5 p.m. the container ship "Orita" was in allision with the suspected shadow tanker "Mia" in the Sea of Marmara, five nautical miles off Gürpınar in the Beylikdüzü district, where the container ship was moored at anchorage 3. The unloaded tanker went NUC and drifted towards the 'Orita', which had left Gemlik on March 7 en route to Sulina. When the port side impacted the bow of the 'Orita' about amidships, a ballast tank was ruptured. Dirty water leaked into the sea. The first response vessel to arrive was the tug 'Efes 10' (IMO: 1031692), which secured the area, while the authorities assessed the situation. Later, the 'Kurtarma 2' (IMO: 8959764) was deployed by the General Directorate of Coastal Safety. The crew of 'Mia' attempted to fix an emergency patch to stop the leakage from the damaged ballast tank. Meanwhile, the Turkish Coast Guard began investigating the 'Orita' to determine the extent of the impact on the container ship, which had suffered visible dents from the collision. As of March 10, the 'Mia' was moored in pos. 40° 57' N 028° 35' E and the 'Orita' in pos. 40° 57' N 028° 35' E. The ownership and operational background of the 'Mia' was still unknown. The tanker is registered for a Seychelles-based company, has no listed management, and has not undergone an inspection since 2014. The USA have sanctioned the vessel in 2024, claiming that it was falsely registered under Guyana’s flag. The Guyanese authorities denied any connection, stating that their registry was closed and did not include the vessel. US officials suspected that the 'Mia' has operated under different identities in the past, possibly using names such as 'Magus' and 'Freedom'. It has had seven names since 2013. The insurer is unknown. Reports with photo and video: https://www.7deniz.net/beylikduzunde-petrol-tankeri-konteyner-gemisine-catti https://fullavantenews.com/sanctioned-tanker-struck-by-containership-off-turkey-leaks-polluted-water/
FRIENDS RS 1
After - on the morning of Feb 27 - the 'Friends RS 1' was in allision with the cargo m/v 'Jessica B' (IMO: 9262534), in the port of Gemlik, on March 1 she was detained in the port with 24 deficiencies, 12 of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention following the damage investigations: 1) Pollution Prevention - Ballast Water Record Book Entries missing 2) Certificate & Doc - Oil record book Entries missing 3) Structural conditions - Decks - Cracking Damaged 4) Structural conditions - Bulkhead - cracking Damaged 5) Structural conditions - Other (Structural conditions) Other 6) Emergency systems - Abandon ship drill Insufficient frequency 7) Safety of navigation - Charts Not updated 8)) Life saving Appliances - Inflatable liferafts Not ready for use 9) Life saving Appliances - Embarkation arrangement survival craft Not properly maintained 10) Life saving Appliances - Lifeboat inventory Not as required 11) Fire safety - Other (Fire safety) Other 12) ISM - Ism certificate Not as required The vessel was released again on March 5 and remained moored at Gemlik Anchorage in pos. 40° 25' N 029° 05' E as of March 10. The 'Jessica B' berthed in Tuzla on March 4, https://www.facebook.com/share/p/12HRMXiQiZf/
MV MEGHNA PRINCESS
The 'Meghna Princess' was thrown off course by a GPS jammer and struck an underwater rock near Russia's Ust-Luga port on Dec 29, 2024. As of March 6, the ship was still stuck in pos. 60° 19' N 028° 35' E. After loading 25,000 tonnes of fertiliser in St Petersburg, the ship with 25 crew members on board had left the port on Dec 27 and was heading to Ust-Luga to load another 25,000 tonnes of cargo. The vessel struck a rocky seabed, significantly damaging its hull and propeller and allowing water to flood several of its tanks. The crew found cracks in the hull and water in some tanks, though the cargo remained intact. A diving team confirmed a week later that the ship was stuck on a rock, with the propeller damaged. Once the cargo has been unloaded and the ship refloated, it will need towing for repairs, which will take significant time. The sailors on the vessel were running low on drinking water and food. he crew has been without fresh water for two months, relying on melted snow for drinking water. Despite repeated pleas for assistance, the Russian port authorities did not respond. After months of efforts and lobbying by the BMMOA, the International Transport Workers' Union (ITF) and Meghna Group, a Russian salvage company was hired last week to recover the ship. The salvage operation has started, with repairs expected to follow shortly.