This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

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