ΣΥΓΚΡΟΥΣΗ ΠΛΟΙΩΝ ΣΤΟΝ ΕΛΛΗΣΠΟΝΤΟ--General cargo ship Guler collided with bulk carrier Piri Reis in Dardanelles Strait

The general cargo ship Guler collided with bulk carrier Piri Reis in Dardanelles Strait. The both ships were proceeding in southern direction on crossing routes, but due to lack of communication and violation of ColReg collided near Erenkoy in Canakkale Province, Turkey. The ships suffered damages and underwater breaches, but remained afloat and without danger of sinking. The incident was reported to local authorities and to the vessels was ordered to anchor at Erenkoy anchorage for further repairs and special survey. Fortunately during the accident there were no injured people and no water pollution. The investigation for the root cause of the accident is under way. The ships will resume voyages after inspection. The general cargo ship Guler (IMO: 7924334) has overall length of 80.00 m, moulded beam of 12.00 m and maximum draft of 4.50 m. The deadweight of the vessel is 2,421 DWT and the gross tonnage is 1,581 GRT. The ship was built in 1980 by Detlef Hegemann Rolandwerft in Germany. The general cargo ship Guler is classified by Bulgarian Shipping Register and is operated by Turkish company Deniz Feneri Uluslararasi. During the accident the vessel was en route from Istanbul to Durres, Albania. The bulk carrier Piri Reis (IMO: 9146998) was en route from Nikolayev, Ukraine to Libya. The ship has overall length of 172.00 m, moulded beam of 27.00 m and maximum draft of 9.50 m. The deadweight of the ship is 28,515 DWT and the gross tonnage is 18,005 GRT. The bulk carrier Piri Reis was built in 1997 by Tsuneshi Shipbuilding in Fukuyama, Japan. The owner and operator of the ship is FSM Shipping and Transport.