Turkish Ferry Aground in Aegean Sea

More than 180 passengers have been evacuated from a ro-pax ferry which had ran aground in a storm off the coast of Turkey this weekend.

They ferry, the Turkish-flagged Gokceada-1, ran aground over the weekend along the coast of Gokceada, an island off the west coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea.

All 188 passengers had to be a evacuated from vessel after failed attempts to pull the ship from the rocks.

Photos from the ferry show the passengers donning lifejackets while awaiting rescue overnight – about 15 hours, one of the passengers told gCaptain. The passenger said the ferry hit the island at full speed and without warning.

Eleven crewmembers remain aboard the vessel along with the 39 vehicles the ship was carrying, the Turkish Directorate General of Coastal Safety reported.

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the grounding.

The vessel was still aground as of Monday, according to reports.

Photos courtesy Directorate General of Coastal Safety

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