Istanbul Strait traffic halted as ship heading to Russia malfunctions

ANKARA

Maritime traffic through the Istanbul Strait was suspended early Saturday after a ship sailing from Istanbul to the Russian city of Novorossiysk malfunctioned.

Kappa, a 147-meter-long (482-foot-long) container ship, suffered a machine failure, Türkiye’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety said on Twitter.

Rescue vessels and officials have been dispatched to assist the Turkish-flagged ship, which has anchored off Istanbul’s Kandilli district, it added.