Bosphorus Strait Traffic Suspended after Collision - GAC

Traffic in Turkey's Bosphorus Strait, an important international shipping lane for oil and grain, was suspended on Monday after a minor collision between two bulk carriers, shipping agent GAC said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

GAC said a 114-metre vessel identified as M/V Forward collided with 224-metre carrier Wadi Alkarnak at 1413 pm (1113 GMT) around the middle of the Strait, following a rudder malfunction.

One of the vessels had already left the strait but shipping traffic had since been closed, GAC said.

The Turkish coast guard could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Bosphorus is one of world's most important chokepoints for the maritime transit of oil, with over 3 percent of global supply - mainly from Russia and the Caspian Sea - passing through the 17-mile waterway connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. It also carries large amounts of grains from Russia and Kazakhstan to world markets.

Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk