Cargo ship from Ukraine grounded in Bosphorus strait, traffic halted

The Palau-flagged bulk carrier MKK1, carrying grain under UN’s Black Sea grain initiative, is seen drifted aground in the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik

The cargo ship MKK 1, travelling from Ukraine to Turkey, was grounded in Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait on Monday and traffic in the strait was suspended but no damage was reported, shipping agents Tribeca said.

Several tugs were among vessels sent to provide assistance to the ship, the coastguard authority said.

Television footage showed the bow of the ship, carrying 13,000 tonnes of peas, grounded close to the coastline on the Asian side of the Bosphorus.

Turkish Navy's rescue ship TCG Isin sails in the Bosphorus as the Palau-flagged bulk carrier MKK1, carrying grain under UN’s Black Sea grain initiative, is seen drifted aground in Istanbul, Turkey January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik

The Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which runs the U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal operations, said at the weekend the ship was travelling from Pivdennyi to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Mersin.

Tribeca said the Palau-flagged general cargo ship was grounded at Acarburnu at the northern end of the strait early on Monday as it headed southbound.

It said no damage or spill was reported.

The Palau-flagged bulk carrier MKK1, carrying grain under UN’s Black Sea grain initiative, is seen drifted aground in the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik

(Reporting by Yoruk Isik; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Kim Coghill)