The busy Bosphorus strait in Istanbul was shut to traffic on Monday morning after a small bulker grounded.
Ship agency Tribeca said vessels were halted in both directions of the Turkish waterway following the incident involving the 13,800-dwt MKK 1 (built 1992).
The Palau-flag vessel was travelling from Ukraine to Turkey, reportedly with a grain cargo.
No damage was sustained in the accident, Tribeca added.
Several tugs were among the vessels sent to provide assistance to the ship, Turkey’s coast guard authority said.
Video footage showed the bow of the bulker close to the coastline on the Asian side of the strait.
The Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which runs the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal operations, had said at the weekend the ship was travelling from Pivdennyi to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Mersin.
Tribeca said the vessel grounded at Acarburnu at the northern end of the strait early on Monday as it headed southbound.
No pollution was reported.
Rudder failure blamed
The General Directorate of Coastal Safety said: “Our specialist rescue ships, the Nene Hatun ship, the Rescue 5, 8 and 9 tug boats, along with a KEGM-8 boat were promptly dispatched to the scene.”
Turkish media reported a rudder failure at around 0730 local time.
AIS data showed the bulker as “stopped” later on Monday morning.
The ship has not been detained after a port state control safety inspection since 2017.
Shipping databases list the bulker under the name Abdullatif, with the manager reported as Nobility Marine of Romania.
