Fire Breaks Out On Dry Cargo Vessel in Dardanelles Strait

On Thursday, 25 April, the Turkish Directorate General of Coastal Safety reported a fire on the dry cargo vessel AK Discovery in the Dardanelles Strait. The vessel was en route from Egypt to Bulgaria when a fire broke out in its engine room, prompting an immediate response from the Coast Guard to tackle the blaze.

Rescue operations were quickly organized, involving tugboats Kurtarma-3, Kurtarma-13, and Turkeli, as well as a pilot boat and the Kiyem-1 fast rescue boat, to aid the troubled vessel. 

It was reported that while one crew member was injured, the remaining 13 were safely evacuated. The Turkish Directorate General of Coastal Safety later confirmed that the fire had been extinguished and that cooling procedures were underway.

As a safety precaution, maritime traffic in the Dardanelles Strait was temporarily suspended in both directions.

The AK Discovery, a bulk carrier flying the Barbados flag, had previously left from Canakkale Port, Turkey, and was headed to Varna port, Bulgaria, according to AIS tracking data.