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A small containership docked in Turkey’s main container port lost stability and rolled onto its side this morning, December 23, during the loading operation. Port officials are working to contain the damage and clean up from the vessel.

The vessel named Amnah (5,200 dwt) was loading containers at the Ambarli Port in Istanbul when it started listing toward the dock and eventually rolled onto its side. The incident was reported at 0400 local time and in the videos crewmembers can be seen on the deck.

Turkish officials reported there were 15 crew aboard and that five jumped into the water and swam to safety. The other ten were rescued from the vessel. One crewmember suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital.

The ship was built in 1996 and was operating until recently for Russia’s Fesco shipping company. Databases reflected it transferred owners to a company in Belize as of October 2024 and is managed from Turkey. The ship is registered in Comoros.

Officials believe the vessel was improperly loaded causing it to lose stability. They reported an investigation would be undertaken to determine what happened during the loading process.

A containment boom was strung around the vessel to prevent pollution.

A Soviet-era product tanker has gone down in the Russian-controlled Kerch Strait, spilling fuel and leaving one seafarer dead.

According to Russian transport agency Rosmorrechflot, the aging river-sea tanker Volgoneft 212 sank in a wintertime storm Sunday about five nautical miles outside of the Kerch Strait. Waves in excess of 25 feet were forecast by Russia's meteorological agency, according to TASS. A video taken by a crewmember shows that the aging vessel broke up in the storm, and the bow could be seen floating away from the bridge deck.

Of the 15 people aboard the 212, at least one has been confirmed dead. Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that twelve people were rescued, implying that two seafarers remain missing. Two of the survivors were said to be in serious condition.

The tanker was carrying about 4,300 tonnes of mazut, a uniquely Russian and Central Asian residual fuel oil produced from low-quality feedstocks. The amount of pollution is not known, but a breakup would release a substantial quantity of petroleum at once from at least one cargo tank and several fuel tanks.

Russian authorities are investigating the incident as a possible criminal safety violation.

A second tanker from the same operator's fleet, the Volgoneft 239, ran aground just off Taman at about the same time as the sinking of the 212. The grounded ship was located close to shore, and though initial reports suggested it was sinking, it remained afloat. Conditions on scene were poor and the crew were determined to be in no danger, so SAR authorities opted to leave all crewmembers aboard the 239 until the weather improved.

Volgoneft 212 was more than five decades old, and had recently received major modifications in a yard period. According to ABC, her hull had been cut in two amidships - typically a prelude to lengthening to increase cargo capacity.

A large fleet of Soviet-era tankers and bulkers still ply the waters of the Black Sea, providing low-cost transport along the coasts and inland waterways. These aging vessels have repeatedly broken up and sunk in heavy weather in recent years, including one in 2021 that was smashed by modest swells while at anchor.

In 2007, another aging Volgoneft tanker - Volgoneft-139 - broke up under similar circumstances in Kerch Strait.

A bulker that weathered the Russian occupation of Mariupol has collided with a Turkish freighter in the Kattegat, according to flag state officials.

The Bulgarian-managed Tzarevna ("Princess") was under way between Jutland and Sweden on Thursday night, bound for St. Petersburg. At about 2230 hours, it was in collision with the Erdogan Bey, a 50,000 dwt Turkish freighter. No injuries or pollution were reported, and an investigation into the cause of the casualty is under way, led by Danish authorities.

The Tzarevna's operator told Bulgarian industry outlet maritime.bg that little damage occurred in the collision; however, a Danish Armed Forces spokesperson reported that Tsarevna's bow had been holed. The ship has gone to anchor just off Aarhus.

In March 2022, Tzarevna was caught in the port of Mariupol when Russian forces took the town, and she and her crew were held by Russian-aligned separatists. At the time, Italian shipowner Fratelli Cosulich told local media that the Russian-backed Donetsk Republic forces had made an offer to buy the ship, but "at a ridiculous value" that amounted to "blackmail." At the time, managing director Augusto Cosulich told Il Giornale that "the news is that the Russians are taking everything, ship and cargo."

The vessel was released in November 2022 and departed, though the crew reportedly had to offload their 15,000-tonne cargo of Ukrainian steel before sailing.