DANGER IN BOSPHORUS

UNCLAS ISTANBUL 000223 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EPET ENRG EWWT TU SUBJECT: DANGER IN BOSPHORUS REF: ANKARA 544 ¶1. (U) A major catastrophe in Istanbul's narrow Bosphorus Straits was narrowly averted on February 21 when a Liberian- flagged tanker carrying 86,000 tons of kerosene lost steerage way and nearly ran aground at Istanbul's historic Dolmabahce Palace. The out-of-control ship came to a stop some 200 meters from the Palace, after dropping its anchor as a last resort. ¶2. (U) The 243-meter long Genmar Star was en route to the US with a load of crude kerosene from Russia's Kerch port when the accident happened. Tthe ship's steering locked as it passed under the Bosphorus Bridge in the mid-afternoon of February 21. The ship had a pilot captain on board, but was not accompanied by an escort vessel during its passage, as Turkish authorities recommend for such large vessels with hazardous cargoes. The Bosphorus was subsequently closed to traffic as authorities assessed the situation, though it was reopened by the end of the day after the ship was towed by CSSA tug boats to Ahirpapi anchorage area in the Marmara Sea for repair work. ¶2. (SBU) Captain Gokmen Akgul of the Coastal Safety and Salvage Administration (CSSA) told us that he observed the incident from his nearby office. The ship, he said, was out of control for some 3 minutes before it was able to stop by anchoring 200 meters off shore from the palace. Had the incident occurred a mile later, he noted, the construction platform for the underwater Bosphorus tunnel would have been threatened. Akgul said Genmar Star is a double hulled tanker, which makes it relatively safer, but he stressed that this would not have prevented a catastrophe if the vessel had hit the shore. He noted that Genmar Star's load was crude jet fuel kerosene that is extremely flammable. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: This incident again highlights the risks that accompany the increasing volumes of petroleum products transiting the straits, and will undoubtedly be seized on by authorities here as they push Bosphorus by-pass options. Chevron has long pointed out that the greatest risk is the plethora of fuel product tankers, as opposed to the largest and most regulated crude oil tankers. End Comment ¶3. (SBU) Comment: This incident again highlights the risks that accompany the increasing volumes of petroleum products transiting the straits, and will undoubtedly be seized on by authorities here as they push Bosphorus by-pass options. End Comment JONES