147-meter ship breaks down in the Strait, drifts off Kuruçeşme

The ship turned completely around — a full 180 degrees: the 147-meter dry cargo vessel 'Bilbao Trader', sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda from Istanbul to Derince, suffered an engine failure around 21:30 off Kuruçeşme and drifted in the opposite direction to which it was traveling. With only a few hundred meters remaining to shore, the ship was clearly visible on vessel tracking systems; the moment was captured by citizen cameras.

Following a report, the Coast Guard dispatched the Rescue-8 and Coast Guard-4 tugboats to the scene. Teams responded quickly to the malfunction; after the fault was resolved, the 'Bilbao Trader' exited the strait under Coast Guard escort and continued on its way.

The Strait is one of the world's busiest maritime corridors; an average of 45 ships pass through daily. In the 2021 'Juanita' incident, a tanker similarly suffered a breakdown and came within 80 meters of shore, and the Strait was closed to traffic for hours. This time, the Coast Guard's rapid response ensured that transit passages continued uninterrupted.