Maritime traffic in Bosporus returns to normal after suspension

ISTANBUL

Maritime traffic through the Bosporus Strait, which was suspended due to a vessel malfunction, returned to normal late Wednesday.

The BARLAS, a 70-meter-long (230-foot-long) dry cargo vessel, experienced engine failure earlier in the day near Istanbul's Maiden's Tower and was safely anchored in the Ahirkapi anchorage area by rescue vessels.

Maritime traffic through the Bosporus, one of Turkey's two main waterways, was suspended after the vessel malfunctioned and was left stranded, the Directorate General of Coastal Safety said in a statement.

Rescue vessels were dispatched to help the vessel after traffic was halted, it added.

Following the rescue efforts, the strait was reopened to traffic as of 22.40 p.m. local time (1940GMT).

The Bosporus is one of the busiest points in Turkey in terms of maritime traffic.

Malfunctioning vessels occasionally block the passage of vessels traveling to and from the Black Sea to the Aegean via the Sea of Marmara.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz in Ankara