Istanbul court issues seizure warrant for ship that crashed into historical mansion

Dinçer Gökçe – ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court has issued a warrant for the seizure of a ship that crashed into a waterfront mansion on the Bosphorus on April 7.

The ruling came after the owners of the Hekimbaşı Salih Efendi mansion applied to the Istanbul 17th Commercial Court of First Instance on April 9, demanding a lien to be enforced after their mansion was left with extensive damage. In their application, the owners noted the mansion had lost its historical status as a result of the crash.

The owners have also indicated that reconstruction of the mansion was subject to permission from the Council of Monuments and its reconstruction would “cost at least $40-50 million.”

The court then authorized the Maltese tanker Vitaspirit to be seized against the costs, specifying that the lien shall continue until the mansion’s owners are paid $50 million.

“For now, a seizure warrant has been ruled for the ship related to the $50 million [cost]. Currently, the relevant notices are being made to the port authority and coastal safety authorities for the seizure of the ship. The work to determine the extent of the damage is ongoing” said lawyers Nazlı Selek and Erdal Gökçe on behalf of the mansion owners.

The Bosphorus is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. In 2017, 42,000 military, naval and commercial vessels passed through the strait.

In 2017, there were a total of 127 incidents in the Bosphorus that almost resulted in a big crash, like that of the tanker Vitaspirit, but were “avoided with little or no harm,” and therefore, the public had not been informed of them, according to the Marine Safety Foundation.

“These [127 incidents] include crashing, touching, running aground, mechanical faults. Based on this, there is a narrow escape from an accident in the Bosphorus every three days,” said a statement issued by the foundation, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on April 10. </s> The "Vitaspirit" tanker, under the flag of Malta, which sailed from Egypt to Ukraine, has crashed into a historic mansion, located on the shores of the Strait of Bosporus in Istanbul, Turkey.

No victims have been reported, but this footage from the crash captured the great damage caused to the historic seaside mansion located under the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge, one of the three crossings between Istanbul's Asian and European sides.

A tanker ran into a historic waterfront mansion in İstanbul’s Bosphorus. If it was an LNG tanker, an area of 30-40 km could have been decimated w/scores of deads. This accident shows once again how unfit Bhosphorus is for oil and LNG tankers. https://t.co/1M17CES1F3 pic.twitter.com/j8sMVHDxFi — 🇹🇷 Umut Acar (@AcarUmut) April 7, 2018 </s> The mansion – which has stood since the 18th century – had its roof and upper floors collapse after the accident but there were no reported casualties.

Staff and diners inside the building are seen fleeing in panic.

It then hurtles towards the historic waterfront mansion of Hekimbasi Salih Efendi.

The heart-stopping footage shows the colossal vessel losing control in Istanbul’s Bosphorus strait, Turkey, yesterday.

Traffic on the strait was suspended in both directions after the crash, blocking the maritime travel route that carries more than 3% of the global oil supply.

According to state officials, the massive tanker lost control after its steering equipment became locked.

The Malta-flagged Vitaspirit tanker – carrying 62 tons of dough from Russia to Saudi Arabia – was pulled back from the crash site. </s> A tanker crashed into a historic mansion on the shores of Istanbul’s Bosphorus on Saturday after its steering equipment became locked, Reutres reported citing broadcaster CNN Turk said.

Broadcaster adding that traffic in the strait had been suspended in both directions.

Towboats and coast guard vessels were sent to the area after the crash and the “Vitaspirit” tanker, carrying a Maltese flag, was pulled back from the crash site and brought to shore, CNN Turk said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but footage from the crash showed extensive damage to the historic seaside mansion located under the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge, one of the three crossings between Istanbul’s Asian and European sides. </s> Ship that crashed into Istanbul waterfront mansion moored in Marmara Sea

ISTANBUL

A cargo vessel that crashed into a waterside mansion on the Bosphorus on April 7 has been moored in the Marmara Sea for investigation, with the owners of the mansion demanding proper prosecution against those in charge of maritime traffic.

“The ship that was involved in the accident has been routed to the Ahırkapı anchor point. There were no casualties or marine pollution caused by the incident. It was caused by an abrupt halt of the main engine,” said the Istanbul Governor’s Office in a statement on April 7.

The Maltese-flagged Vitaspirit, a 225-meter (740 foot) vessel en route from Russia to Saudi Arabia, was guided by a harbor pilot, it said.

The building’s roof and upper floors collapsed and television pictures showed the basement slumping into the water.

Images showed the stricken vessel ramming the mansion on the Asian side of the Bosphorus with the tip of its bow, sending a cloud of dust and rubble into the air as the building collapsed.

“It was like a horror film. Nobody understood what was going on. The ship, as tall as the building, had already ploughed before we went downstairs to the garden,” said Aslı Zeynep Ertürer, one of the members of the family that owns the mansion.

“It is a 200-year-old mansion. It is a building we have sustained fighting tooth and nail. The exterior parts can be repaired somehow but we have lost many valuable properties we had been trying to protect inside,” she told Doğan News Agency on April 8.

The family will file a complaint against whoever is responsible for maritime security, according to their lawyer, Nazlı Selek.

“We expect support from the public. We expect support from all governmental agencies and institutes for this national wealth. We expect support for the prosecution of the individuals responsible and the investigation to be done properly,” she said.

Such waterside mansions, known as yalis in Turkish, are among the most historic and expensive properties on the waterway that runs through Istanbul and divides Europe and Asia.

The wooden Hekimbaşı Salih Efendi mansion was built by Ottoman nobles in the 19th century.

‘Manageable risk’

The Bosphorus is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and in 2017 it was transited by some 42,000 military, naval and commercial vessels.

The government says the risk of such accidents shows the need to build its planned and hugely controversial new canal for Istanbul that would take the shipping traffic and lessen the pressure on the Bosphorus.

Cem Devrim Yaylalı, an Istanbul-based Turkish naval expert and editor of the Bosphorus Naval News website, said there was always a risk of such an incident in the Bosphorus but it should be avoided.

“The risk is there but it is manageable if all parts of the system work as they should,” he said.

“That means the Vessel Traffic Service [traffic control for the ships], the pilots and the ships’ crew and machinery need to work as advertised,” he said.

There has been a litany of shipping accidents in the last decades in the Bosphorus although far fewer in recent years as safety standards and technology improved.

One of the worst was the deadly December 1960 collision between the Yugoslav-flagged tanker Petar Zoranic and the Greek vessel World Harmony that caused a fire which lasted for weeks.

Turkish Nobel prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk famously recounts in his 2003 memoir “Istanbul: Memories and the City” the 1963 ramming of a Soviet vessel into the living room of a sleeping Istanbul family. </s> Istanbul – A massive bulk cargo ship collided on Saturday into a waterfront mansion worth millions on Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait.

 

 Authorities had to close the key shipping route in both directions according to reports.

A technical failure in the rudder or steering system was seen as the likely cause for the ship losing control, TRT reported.

No one was hurt in the incident.

The Maltese-flagged Vitaspirit ship was towed away from the crash site, the 18th century Hekimbasi Salih Efendi mansion, located on the Asian side of the Turkish metropolis, under the second of the three bridges spanning the strait.

The mansion, with its pink facade, was badly damaged in the incident, with the upper floors almost entirely destroyed.

The building had once been the home of an Ottoman-era nobleman and is now used for hosting events, including weddings.

Media outlets in Turkey, including Sozcu newspaper, speculated the value of the building could be more than 85 million dollars.

The ship, coming in at some 225 metres in length and 32 metres wide, had set off from Egypt and was due to dock in Ukraine, according to the private Dogan news agency.

The Bosphorus strait connects the Black Sea and Marmara Sea and is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. (dpa/NAN) </s> A massive tanker has crashed into an historic mansion on the shores of Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait after its steering equipment became locked, according to Turkish state media, briefly suspending the traffic in the strait in both directions.

Towboats and coastguard vessels were sent to the area after the crash on Saturday afternoon and the Maltese-flagged tanker Vitaspirit was pulled back from the crash site to be brought to shore, state-run Anadolu Agency said.

There were no casualties in the collision, according to Turkish media.

The tanker was stranded under the Second Bosphorus Bridge, near Anatolian Fortress, in Istanbul's Asian part, Anadolu said, adding that the hit damaged the shore and the mansion.

The bridge, also known as Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, is one of the three crossings between Istanbul's Asian and European sides divided by Bosphorus.

The Istanbul governorate said that the ship was anchored to stop, but it still hit the shore at 3:30pm local time (12:30 GMT).

Footage from the crash showed extensive damage to the historic seaside mansion located under the bridge.

The building's roof and upper floors collapsed and videos showed the basement slumping into the water.

The Hekimbasi Salih Efendi Mansion has stood on the shores of the Bosphorus Strait since the 18th century and is used to host weddings and concerts, according to the mansion's website.

Such waterside mansions are among the most historic and expensive properties on the Bosphorus.

The Deniz Haber maritime news agency said that 225-metre Vitaspirit was heading from Egypt to Ukraine.

The Bosphorus is one of the world's most important choke points for maritime oil transports, with more than three percent of global supply - mainly from Russia and the Caspian Sea - passing through the 27-kilometre waterway connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

It is also used by vessels carrying grain from Russia and Kazakhstan to international markets.
A court in Istanbul issues a warrant for the seizure of MV Vitaspirit, a Maltese tanker that crashed into a historic waterfront mansion on the Bosphorus on April 7, until the mansion's owners receive US$50 million.