A Turkish bulker has run aground in a storm as it headed to Ukraine to load grain.
Turkish reports said the 47,000-dwt TQ Ordu (built 2007) was sailing from Istanbul when it was forced onto a beach at Sile Sofular on Monday evening.
The Palau-flag vessel encountered waves of up to six metres and a wind speed of nearly 30 knots.
No assistance was requested from the ship, which had 23 crew members on board. No injuries were reported among them.
Video footage showed that Coast Guard teams were sent to the region for precautionary purposes.
AIS data showed the vessel as not under command on Tuesday morning.
The TQ Ordu left Eregli in Turkey on 2 February and arrived in Istanbul on 4 February.
The ship may have been awaiting clearance from the UN’s Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) for Black Sea grain shipments.
More than 10 vessels have been seeking permission to head to Ukraine.
Inspectors struggling to reach vessels for checks
The JCC has said inspectors have several times been prevented from reaching ships due to bad weather.
There have also been reports of Russian inspectors delaying checks, but Russia has denied this.
The vessel is operated by HGFH Denizcilik of Tuzla in Turkey. The company could not be contacted.
Clarksons lists the ship as in repair.
The bulker last suffered a port state control detention in 2018.
The TQ Ordu is not listed in the International Group of P&I Clubs’ insurance database.
