Ukraine cargo ship runs aground in Bosphorus Strait

A ship from Ukraine ran aground in the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey, closing the critical transport route to maritime traffic, Turkey’s coastal security authority announced on Monday. 

The Bosphorus Strait connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean via the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles Strait. The strait is one of the busiest waterways in the world, with four times more traffic than the Suez Canal and four times more than the Panama Canal.

The vessel in question, bulk carrier “MKK 1,” which flies the flag of Oceanian nation Palau, ran aground near the coastal Turkish village of Umuryeri. Special vessels are attempting to re-float the 142-metre-long freighter.

It is not currently known what the ship was carrying, or whether the ship was taking part in deliveries as part of the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative. According to data from UN authorities, the MKK 1 previously transported 13,000 metric tonnes of peas to Europe as part of the deal on 8 January.

Moscow and Kyiv signed the grain deal last July to allow grain exports from Ukraine, unblocking Ukrainian ports to ensure food supply to developing countries. Experts had previously warned that a sustained Russian blockade would significantly aggravate world hunger.