A Celestyal Cruises ship suffered structural damage to its bow and was forced to dock at Turkey’s port of Gallipoli after it collided with the Marshal Islands-flagged product tanker STI Pimlico in the early hours of Saturday.
The 37,000 dwt tanker was reportedly carrying highly flammable naphtha at the time of the collision. Local coastal safety authorities reported that a certain amount of naphtha was discharged after the incident, and a tug has been sent to assist in cooling operations.
The crew of the 2014-built STI Pimlico is reportedly unharmed, with the tanker suffering structural damage to its port beam.The tanker is owned by Scorpio Tankers.
All 852 passengers and 382 crew members on board the cruise ship Celestyal Crystal are well, except for two crew members and one passenger who suffered minor injuries and were given first aid, said Celestyal Cruises.
The cruise on board Celestyal Crystal has been canceled and the ship is awaiting inspection at Gallipoli.
The passengers disembarked at Gallipoli and were transported to hotels in Istanbul. They have an option to continue their cruise on board two other Celestyal Cruises ships starting Tuesday, with Sunday and Monday used for scheduled visits to Istanbul and Izmir.
Passengers will receive a refund of their cruise fares, and will also be offered a complimentary 7 day cruise, valid until the end 2016, Celestyal Cruises said. This is not applicable to those who would be ending their cruise in Istanbul.