Istanbul ship sinking: tanker captain charged

The captain of an oil tanker that collided with a cargo ship off Istanbul has been arrested with the tanker's third officer on negligent homicide charges, prosecutors said.

The arrests were ordered late Thursday by a court in Silivri, on the western outskirts of Istanbul province, a day after the empty oil tanker ALSU struck the Tugberk Imamoglu in the Sea of Marmara. The cargo ship, which was carrying rolled steel, sank quickly, leaving all 10 crew members missing.

Prosecutors said the court charged the pair with failing to fulfil navigational safety obligations and take necessary measures to prevent the collision. They identified the captain only as A.E. and the third officer as M.E.

The prosecutors' statement said the captain failed in his supervision and oversight of navigational safety. It said the third officer, who was serving as watch officer at the time, failed to take timely and effective steps to prevent the collision.

Four other suspects were granted conditional release, prosecutors said. Legal proceedings have been started against nine of the ALSU's 10 crew members, excluding the cook.

Officials said the Tugberk Imamoglu sank in waters about 900 metres deep, some 18 nautical miles off Silivri. Search and rescue operations continued Friday, and rescuers had not reached the wreckage or found the ship's voyage data recorder.

A marine accident expert report prepared for prosecutors and seen by AFP said there were multiple safety breaches aboard the tanker. It said deficiencies and failures on the ALSU's bridge were the fundamental root cause of the disaster, including an inexperienced third officer on watch and no lookout on duty. The report also cited shortcomings by the cargo ship.