Small tanker spills fuel after sinking off Istanbul
Date: 09-Aug-02
Country: TURKEY
Television pictures showed a black pool spreading across a small area and some of the fuel reaching the shore, but floating barriers placed by the coast guard had apparently contained the spillage from moving out to sea.
Officials could not say what the size of the spill was after the 160 tonne Cevik II sank near the Kartal district of Istanbul, Turkey's largest city of more than 10 million people.
It was also not immediately clear what caused the vessel to sink or whether the fuel came from the Cevik II's engine or from its cargo hold.
No one was killed or injured when the tanker, which was moored at a private industrial pier, sank at 5:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), said Akif Genc of the Istanbul coastal police.
"The sinking and (environmental) protection efforts have not affected traffic to the Bosphorus or in the area," an official at the Bosphorus traffic control centre said.
The busy Bosphorus strait is a 19-mile (31-km) sea channel connecting the Black Sea with the world's oceans.
Oil tankers, cargo ships and small passenger boats all use the waterway.
