Malta-flagged ship in Dardanelles collision

The maritime authority said yesterday it was investigating a collision involving a Malta-registered cargo ship in the Aegean Sea on Saturday.

A spokesman for the authority said the Marti Princess collided with the Renate Schulte, a German-registered cargo ship, close to the Dardanelles.

He said the authority was told that following the incident, water flooded the two cargo holds of the cargo ship, which was carrying cement.

On Tuesday, a salvage team boarded the vessel to assess the situation and carry out any stability calculations. No pollution has so far been reported. No one was injured in the collision but, as a precaution, the 13-strong crew was evacuated.

The two cargo ships were separated yesterday with no serious repercussions being reported.