2 cargo ships collide in Turkey's Marmara Sea

Ankara, Oct 24 (IANS) Two foreign-flagged cargo ships collided on Sunday in the Marmara Sea off Turkey's northwestern Canakkale province, causing damage but no injuries, local media reported.

Benitamou, a 299-metre-long vessel carrying cast iron ore to China from Ukraine, reportedly collided with BC Vanessa, a 172-meter-long vessel carrying wheat to Egypt from Bulgaria, at around 6 a.m., reports Xinhua news agency.

According to TRT, a Turkish public broadcaster, the ships crashed on their way to an anchor zone before passing the Dardanelles Strait towards the Aegean Sea and were travelling under foggy conditions.

The ships will be taken to the Sevketiye region near the Lapseki district of Canakkale, TRT added.

Benitamou is sailing under the Panama flag, while BC Vanessa is under the Barbados flag, according to reports.