Turkish coastal vessel sinks close to Mangalia port, Romania
The Cambodian-registered coastal vessel Multi Trader sank yesterday evening close to Mangalia port, Romania. The ship’s seven crewmembers were able to abandon ship before it went down. The 30-year-old, Turkish-owned 1,000-dwt general cargo vessel was en route from Hereke, near Istanbul to Constantza with a cargo of construction material. It interrupted its passage off Mangalia yesterday morning, but the master insisted to border police that he was tackling some minor problems. However, at 1855 the master admitted he had serious problems: the ship was taking on water and a list was developing. By the time a Coastguard team arrived at the scene the crew were in lifeboats, and Multi Trader was going under the surface, said Romanian Naval Authority general manager Valentin Serbanescu. Fearing pollution, the port authority sent out the counter-pollution vessel Hercules, but there are reports this morning of oil on the surface. Unconfirmed reports allege the master had informed the ship’s owner, Kalyoncu Denizcilik, about the ship’s poor condition, but he was told not to pass this information to the port authorities. The Multi Trader has been repeatedly detained by Black Sea MOU inspectors since it joined the Kalyoncu Denizcilik fleet in 2003, the latest of which was in Varna in May, when nine defects were found, mainly involving certificates.