Containership Refloated After Bosphorus Grounding

Turkey’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety (KEGM) confirmed on April 28 that the grounded Turkish-flagged containership Kappa had been successfully refloated, allowing vessel traffic to resume after a temporary suspension. No pollution was reported.

The fully loaded ship, sailing from Russia to Kocaeli, ran aground near Yeniköy while transiting with a pilot onboard. As a result, traffic through the Bosphorus was suspended in both directions during the incident.

Refloating efforts were carried out under the supervision of the Istanbul Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) Centre. Tugboats Kurtarma-5, Kurtarma-6, and Kurtarma-8 were deployed to assist, supported by rescue and dive teams.

Once refloated, the vessel was moved to a safe anchorage at Küçükçekmece. It was escorted by Kurtarma-6, Kurtarma-8, and the KEGM-5 fast rescue boat. The Bosphorus was reopened to maritime traffic at 07:50 am local time following the successful operation.