Turkish freighter sinks off Malta

A small Turkish-flagged cargo ship carrying wheat sank 130 KM south east of Malta in the early hours of yesterday, the Turkish newspaper Zaman said today. The 16-man crew were rescued. The incident was reported by the Turkish Search and Rescue...

A small Turkish-flagged cargo ship carrying wheat sank 130 KM south east of Malta in the early hours of yesterday, the Turkish newspaper Zaman said today.

The 16-man crew were rescued.

The incident was reported by the Turkish Search and Rescue Coordination Center of the Prime Minister’s Undersecretariat for Maritime Affairs.

The MV Ayhur KRK sent a distress signal 11:55 p.m. on Sunday.

The AFM was contacted but the crew was rescued by another ship, the Acuncagua Bay.

The Ayhur KRK had been heading for France having left from Egypt. It was abandoned shortly after midnight.

It is thought that the ship suffered an engine failure and then started taking in water from the stern shaft pack.

The crew have been disembarked in Libya.

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