On November 6, 2026, Türkiye’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety, KEGM, safely evacuated all 13 crew members from the cargo ship BYB Othello after it ran aground near Anadolu Feneri lighthouse at the northern entrance to the Bosphorus.

Engine failure during voyage

The 97-metre vessel was sailing from Kocaeli to the Ukrainian port of Izmail when it suffered an engine failure and grounded in adverse weather and rough seas.

The initial incident report was received at 02:41 local time. KEGM dispatched the tugs Kurtarma-6 and Kurtarma-11, along with the rescue boat Bayrak-1.

Crew evacuated from shore

Severe sea conditions hampered assistance from the water. A shore rescue team therefore deployed a rope-based evacuation system known as varagele, allowing crew members to be transferred from the stranded vessel to land in a suspended rescue device.

The system was ready at 06:12, and the first crew member was evacuated at 06:28. All 13 seafarers had been brought to safety by 06:55.

About the vessel

BYB Othello is a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo ship, built in 2008.

The operation highlights the practical value of shore-based rescue equipment when rough seas prevent a safe evacuation by boat and the casualty is close enough to the coast.