A container vessel partially sank in the Turkish port of Iskenderun over the weekend while it was offloading what appears to be 40-foot boxes.
According to vessel tracker FleetMon, the Sea Eagle first started listing to starboard as it was being worked at the Mediterranean port.
Although it’s not exactly sure when the accident occurred – late Saturday or early Sunday morning – video footage shows the vessel tipping on to the pier, presumably because of a shift in weight.
It subsequently took on water and rolled over to portside with several boxes tumbling off its deck.
According to the latest reports out of Turkey, the Togo-flagged vessel’s stern had partially sunk.
Authorities are working hard to avoid an oil spill from the vessel and have boomed off the area around it.
No seafarers or port personnel were injured in the incident.
The weekend’s accident brings to three the number of serious cargo vessel incidents since the end of August when a dry bulk carrier, the 0S 35, collided with a liquid natural gas carrier off the coast of Gibraltar.
The stricken vessel remains stuck on a sandbank east of Catalan Bay where it started to break up with approaching bad weather compromising salvage efforts.
About a week ago another collision at sea, this time off Denmark’s Jutland Peninsula, almost caused a Dutch vessel, the Helge, to sink after a cold-chain vessel, Wild Cosmos, rammed into it.
The reefer ship was carrying fruit loaded at the Port of Durban at the time of the accident.
Last week it was reported that the Cosmos continued on its journey to Estonia while the Helge was towed to the Danish port of Esbjerg.
