One of the mysterious tankers operating in the shadow fleet and sanctioned late last year was involved in an incident off Turkey late on Friday, March 7. Turkish authorities have not commented on the allision where the tanker was hit by a Turkish-owned containership, but it was captured on video which was broadcast on Turkish TV.
The tanker named Mia (149,686 dwt) was anchored approximately 5 miles offshore near Istanbul. The vessel’s ownership is considered to be murky with a company registered in the Seychelles listed as the owner, no known manager, and no inspections on file since 2014. The U.S. sanctioned the vessel in 2024 and cited it as being registered in Guyana. The authorities in Guyana however reported that it was a false flag as the ship has no ownership ties to the country which operates a closed registry. The U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Control also places a strong likelihood the tanker also operated under the aliases Magus and Freedom.
The videos show the Orita (8,000 dwt) striking the container ship as the vessel appears to be turning. It is a small container ship with a capacity of 672 TEU. It was built in 2005, registered in Panama, and managed by a Turkish company. The vessel’s AIS signal shows it was bound for Sulina, Romania, but it is now being held at anchor.
Media reports said the tug Efes 10 which is operated by Uzmar from Marport was first on the scene. It was used to initially cordon off the area as the Coast Guard worked to determine the circumstances.
The tanker is reported to have suffered a puncture to one of its ballast tanks and was leaking dirty water which the Coast Guard considered pollution while noting it was not oil. A larger tug, Rescue 2 from the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, later reached the area.
The crew on the tanker is reported to be working on an emergency, temporary patch. They are also working to stop the leak from the ballast tank.
There are reports of “impact marks” on the containership Orita. The reports said the Coast Guard was examining the containership to determine the extent of the damage.