Ship on Bosphorus with mechanical failure monetarily closes sea route
The 95-meter long dry cargo ship Bers, which was en route from Iskenderun to Romania, momentarily closed to Bosphorus in Istanbul due to a mechanical failure on March 19, 2025. (AA Photo)
A dry cargo ship that experienced a mechanical failure near the 15 July Martyrs Bridge in Istanbul was towed to the Ahirkapi Demir port, and the Bosphorus was reopened to ship traffic on Wednesday afternoon.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure announced that due to a mechanical failure of the dry cargo vessel named Bers, the Bosphorus Strait’s shipping traffic was temporarily suspended in both directions. The Ministry quickly directed the pilot captain and the Kurtarma-11 tugboat, operated by the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, to the scene.
In a follow-up statement, the Ministry reported that the shipping traffic in the Bosphorus had resumed. “The 95-meter-long dry cargo ship Bers, which experienced a mechanical failure near the 15 July Martyrs Bridge while en route to Romania, was safely anchored at the Ahirkapi Demir Anchorage, under the coordination of our Bosphorus Traffic Management Center, with the assistance of the pilot captain and the Kurtarma-11 tugboat. The Bosphorus Strait has been reopened to ship traffic in both the south-north direction,” the statement concluded.
