The general cargo ship named INTEGRITY STAR, owned by a Turkish operator and carrying 14 personnel, 5 of whom are Turkish and 9 are Indian citizens, experienced a machinery failure and began drifting uncontrollably off the coast of Sri Lanka.
While our reporters tried to reach the ship owner, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard boats called for the personnel to abandon the ship. The ship’s captain has now given the instruction for the personnel to abandon the ship.
A struggle for survival continues in the open sea
The general cargo ship INTEGRITY STAR, owned by a Turkish operator, experienced a machinery failure off the coast of Sri Lanka, dragged its anchor and began drifting. A veritable struggle for survival is taking place on the ship, which has 14 personnel on board, 5 of whom are Turkish.
The Captain of the ship, which has been drifting for 5 days off the coast of Sri Lanka, Oğuz Ali Yılmaz, along with the Turks named Abdullah Muhammet Kaya, Savaş Kırbaş, and Serhat Sarıçayır, and 9 Indian seamen, did not abandon the ship until the last moment, waiting for help from the Sri Lankan authorities. When the expected help did not arrive, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard boats called for the personnel to abandon the ship to the seamen.
The captain of the INTEGRITY STAR, owned by the Turkish operator Gökay Mutlu, which has been waiting for help for 5 days and is in danger of sinking, Oğuz Ali Yılmaz, also requested the seamen to abandon the ship.
Reaching the ship owner Gökay Mutlu by phone to get the latest information about the ship, he stated that the ship is in danger of sinking and that the Sri Lankan authorities have not sent a tugboat to the ship which has been drifting for 5 days. He added that the ship is loaded with coil steel.
The INTEGRITY STAR, which was built in 2009 and is facing the danger of sinking in Sri Lanka, flies the Vanuatu flag and is 122 meters long and 34 meters wide…
