Fifteen crew on the FESCO-owned container vessel Amnah were forced to jump ship as the loading of the vessel failed leading the ship to capsize.
Ten crew were rescued by emergency services and five others swam ashore unaided as the vessel listed sharply before coming to rest on its port side dumping freight containers into the water. One crew member sustained minor injuries and was transported to hospital.
The incident occurred at around 4 am local time on 23 December as the Comoros-flagged vessel, was being loaded at Istanbul’s Ambarli-Marport terminal. Local sources said the 1996-built, 508 TEU ship began to list as a result of “improper load distribution”.
Although the vessel was being operated by the Russian carrier FESCO, VesselsValue shows no P&I insurance is listed for the vessel.
A Turkish Ministry of Transport statement posted on X, formerly Twitter confirmed: “Fifteen personnel were evacuated from the Comoros-flagged container ship named AMNAH, which was lying sideways at Ambarlı Marport Port. The risk of marine pollution was brought under control by surrounding the ship with a floating barrier. Rescue operations began under the coordination of our port authority.”
The moment that the vessel capsized was captured on the port’s security cameras, which showed containers toppling into the water as dockers ran to escape the falling freight.
Turkish authorities have not said how the loading process failed, and they have not released details of what cargoes the vessel was loaded with and are now sitting in the shallow water at the berth, though protective barriers have been deployed to prevent the spread of pollution.
Ambarli Port is Turkey’s largest port in terms of container volume and the fifth largest by cargo tonnage. It is one of the few ports in the country capable of accommodating vessels exceeding 300m in length, and the privately owned port has been operational since 1994.
Mary Anne Evans
Correspondent at Large
