A Panama-flagged handymax bulker has run aground in heavy seas off Turkey.
Turkish reports blamed mechanical failure for the incident involving the 44,000-dwt Petra Star (built 1995) off Beykoz on Wednesday.
The ship was en route from Tekirdag near Istanbul to Port Kavkaz in Russia at the time.
Video footage shot by local residents from a clifftop showed the vessel with its stern backed up towards a rocky outcrop as waves pounded the hull.
The master had issued a request for assistance, and the General Directorate of Coastal Safety (GDCS) sent two tugs to the region.
Rescue ships immediately sent
The Istanbul Governorship said in a statement that the vessel was in ballast.
The Marmara and Straits Regional Command TCSG-906 Coast Guard boat and the GDCS' Nene Hatun emergency response ship also attended the incident.
"Our land rescue (life saving) teams are ready at the incident area," the statement added.
The crew is believed to have remained on board.
Shipping databases list the manager as Linter LLC of Russia, but the vessel no longer appears on the company's website. Linter has been contacted for comment.
Equasis records the bulker as owned by Greater Bloom, which is given an address care of International Safety Management (ISM) Code manager MCF Shipping in Dubai.
Insurance cover is provided by Hydor.
The vessel has no recorded port state control detentions since 2015.
