The 69-meter cargo ship, which was carrying dry goods, sent a distress signal shortly after 6:30 a.m. It was off the coast of the island of Imrali, located around fifty kilometers from the shores.
Three Turkish coast guard boats were dispatched to the area, without being able to locate the bulk carrier. An empty life raft was found nearby, the ministry said. The sea between the Mediterranean in the southwest and the Black Sea in the northeast is a strategic passage, particularly for the transit of Ukrainian cereals.