A CONTAINERSHIP that was berthed at a port in the Turkish city of Istanbul lost stability and rolled onto its side yesterday (23 December).
The incident involving Amnah, a 101 metre length-overall containership, reportedly occurred during a loading operation at the Ambarli container port in Istanbul at 0400 local time.
Extraordinary footage posted on LinkedIn shows Amnah listing precariously on its side as crew members scramble to disembark. Seperate footage goes on to display the ship lying on its side, partially submerged in water, with a number of containers having been displaced. Another video showed footage of the incident from an aerial view.
Overseas media reported that there was 15 crew members aboard the vessel, with five having jumped into the water and swam to safety, and the remaining ten having been rescued. There were no fatalities reported, with only one crew member reportedly suffering minor injuries and was taken to hospital.
The 5200 dwt vessel was built in 1996 and sails under the flag of Comoros. Overseas media reported that until recently Amnah was operating for Russia’s Fesco shipping company, before it transferred owners in October this year.
It was reported that officials believe the vessel was improperly loaded, causing it to lose stability, and that they have reported an investigation would be undertaken to determine what happened during the loading process.
A containment boom was reportedly strung around the vessel to prevent pollution. The exact extent of damage to the vessel is unknown.
