On September 4, according to AFP news agency, the captain and third mate of the ALSU oil tanker were ordered to be temporarily detained by the Turkish court to investigate responsibility in the collision that caused the Tugberk Imamoglu cargo ship to sink in the Marmara Sea, off the coast of Istanbul.
The court issued a decision on the evening of September 3rd after the accident occurred in the early morning of the same day.
According to prosecutors, the ALSU captain did not fully perform his responsibility of supervising and ensuring maritime safety. The third sailor, who was on duty in the cockpit, was accused of not handling the collision in time.
The two are being investigated on charges of negligence leading to death, due to non-compliance with maritime safety regulations and failure to take necessary measures to prevent accidents.
ALSU is a oil tanker but did not carry cargo when the accident occurred. Meanwhile, Tugberk Imamoglu was carrying steel coils. After the collision, Tugberk Imamoglu sank very quickly into the sea. The wreckage is located in an area about 900m deep, about 18 nautical miles from the Silivri coast, west of Istanbul.
All 10 crew members on the cargo ship are missing.
Rescue forces continued the search on September 4. However, rescue teams have not yet approached the wreck and have not found the black box of the ship.
The case is being investigated by the Silivri Prosecutor's Office.
A report by maritime accident investigators accessed by AFP shows that the ALSU ship had many safety procedure violations. The report identified shortcomings in operations in the ALSU ship's cockpit as the main cause of the incident.
Notably, the ship operator at the time of the collision was the third deputy captain who had little experience. This person had just boarded the ship and had to be on duty alone. The ship also did not arrange sailors to perform guard duties, i.e., monitor in front to detect the risk of collision.
Experts assess this as a serious violation in the organization of duty shifts and ensuring maritime safety.
The report also pointed out some shortcomings in safety work on the Tugberk Imamoglu ship.
The Turkish prosecutor's office is conducting prosecution against 9 of the 10 crew members of the ALSU ship, except for the chef.
6 of these people appeared in court on September 3 to serve the investigation process.
Meanwhile, rescue forces continue to search for 10 missing sailors, while investigating the cause of the collision.
