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Western Turkey News

11 Jan 2024

Iran Confirms Seizure of Oil Tanker Involved in US-Iran Dispute

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Iran seized a tanker with Iraqi crude destined for Turkey on Thursday in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its oil by the U.S., Iranian state media reported, a move likely to stoke regional tensions.The seizure of the Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas coincides with weeks of attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias targeting Red Sea shipping routes."After the theft of Iranian oil by the United States last year, St Nikolas tanker was seized by Iran's Navy this morning with a judicial order ...

11 Jan 2024

Oil Tanker Involved in US-Iran Dispute Boarded by Armed Guards Near Oman

© Vladimir / Adobe stock

An oil tanker caught up in a dispute last year between the United States and Iran was boarded by armed individuals off the coast of Oman on Thursday and appeared to have changed course towards Iran, according to UK maritime sources.The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker St Nikolas was boarded by armed intruders as it sailed close to the Omani city of Sohar, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey, and its AIS tracking system was turned off as it headed in the direction…

07 Aug 2023

Blast Injures 10 Near Grain Silos at Turkish Port

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At least 10 people were injured on Monday when an explosion rocked grain silos near the port of Derince in western Turkey, prompting an investigation into its cause, Kocaeli Governor Seddar Yavuz said.An explosion occurred around 2:40 p.m.

28 Feb 2023

Italy: Police Arrest Three Alleged Traffickers after Fatal Migrant Boat Wreck

Wooden boat that smashed apart on rocks off southern Italy on Sunday - Credit: Italian Coast Guard - Screenshot

Italy has arrested three people who they believe trafficked up to 200 migrants aboard a wooden boat that smashed apart on rocks off southern Italy on Sunday, killing at least 64 people, police said on Tuesday. Lieutenant Colonel Alberto Lippolis said a Turkish man and two Pakistani nationals had sailed the boat from Turkey to Italy despite the terrible weather, and were identified by survivors as "the main culprits of the tragedy"."According to initial investigations, they allegedly asked the migrants for about 8…

27 Feb 2023

Italy Urges 'Stop' to Migrant Boats as Shipwreck Death Toll Hits 63

(Photo: Italian Coast Guard)

Rescuers recovered four more bodies on Monday, a day after a wooden sailboat carrying migrants to Europe smashed onto rocks in stormy weather off southern Italy, bringing the death toll to 63, including at least 14 children.Rescuers said most of the migrants came from Afghanistan, as well as from Iran, Somalia, Syria and elsewhere. Pakistan's foreign ministry said 20 Pakistani citizens were on the boat, with four missing and 16 survivors of the nighttime shipwreck.Many of the victims washed ashore close to where the vessel sank near Steccato di Cutro…

02 Oct 2020

Cruise Shipbreaking Booms in Turkey

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Business is booming at a sea dock in western Turkey, where five hulking cruise ships are being dismantled for scrap metal sales after the COVID-19 pandemic all but destroyed the industry, the head of a ship recyclers’ group said on Friday.Cruise ships were home to the some of the earliest clusters of COVID-19 as the pandemic spread globally early this year.In March, U.S. authorities issued a no-sail order for all cruise ships that remains in place.On Friday, dozens of workers stripped walls…

03 May 2019

Seven Dead as Migrant Boat Sinks off Western Turkey

Seven people, including five children, were killed on Friday after a boat carrying migrants sank off the northwestern coast of Turkey, the Turkish coast guard said, adding that five others were being sought.The boat, off the coast of the Ayvalik district in the Balikesir province, was carrying a total of 17 migrants, the coast guard said. Five were rescued.In a statement, the coast guard said search and rescue operations including four boats and two helicopters were being carried out to find the four migrants and one suspected migrant smuggler.Turkey became one of the main launch points for migrants taking the sea route to European Union territory in 2015, many fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.

23 Apr 2017

Turkey Raises Marine Pollution Fines

Turkey has raised the fines for marine pollution by 41 percent, Daily Sabah reported quoting the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication. The Ministry  has  also implemented stricter regulations after a ship hit rocks and spilled 50 tons of fuel in western Turkey. The ministry's decision follows the incident involving Lady Tuna, a ship which hit rocks on December 18, 2016 and was responsible for spilling 50 tons of fuel near the Fener island of Turkey's western Izmir province and has been fined 5 million Turkish liras ($1.37 million). The nearby beaches of PaĹźa Limanı and Ilıca Yıldız Burnu had been polluted by the accident and the cleaning the coast had taken days. The new regulations increase the fines by 41 percent.

13 Aug 2014

APM Terminals Invests in Turkish Port Trade Expansion

APM Terminals Izmir, Turkey, says the installation of new ZPMC container cranes in Petkim Port will allow shipping lines to upgrade the size of vessels calling at Izmir, in Western Turkey, as well as introduce direct calls from Asia, the sub-continent and the Middle East for vessels larger than 10,000 TEUs. “This will be a complete change in Izmir’s role in the global logistics chain. The ordering of these cranes will ensure that APM Terminals Izmir can deliver efficient, reliable and safe operations for these new services, as well as for the larger inter-European trade in Izmir,” said Mogens Larsen, Managing Director of APM Terminals Izmir. The manufacturing of the three ship-to-shore (STS) quay cranes and 10 Rubber Tire Gantry (RTG) cranes by ZPMC are currently underway in Shanghai, P.R.

06 Aug 2014

MTU engines propel double-ended ferries in Turkey

Rolls-Royce Power Systems has just won an order for six MTU diesel engines which will be used to propel three double-ended ferries in Turkey. The ferries are being built by Turkey's Ceksan Shipyard and will be deployed by operator Izmir Metropolitan Municipality to power car and passenger ferries serving the Gulf of Izmir in western Turkey. The MTU 16V 4000 M54 engines each deliver 1685 kilowatts. For both shipyard and operator, this is a 'first' with MTU engines. On double-ended ferries, an engine is installed both at the bow and the stern. That means it is no problem for the symmetrically built vessels to change travel direction after loading and unloading. With just one engine switched on, the ferries are to reach speeds of up to 14 knots.