Greek divers deployed to inspect sunken Turkish-linked cargo ship AUTHORITIES RACE TO CONTAIN SPILL RISK

Greek divers are set to inspect the wreckage of a Turkish cargo vessel that sank off the island of Andros in the Aegean Sea, amid concerns about potential environmental damage.

There were no casualties in the incident, but authorities are carrying out operations to prevent a potential fuel leak from the vessel, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Greek agencies, including the coast guard and the National Intelligence Service, are continuing to monitor the situation surrounding the shipwreck.

The vessel Corsage C, sailing under the flag of Vanuatu, is reportedly listed in international “blacklists” of carriers and is suspected of transporting undeclared cargo beyond its declared 3,000 tonnes of soda ash.

According to the coast guard, the ship departed from a Croatian port and was en route to Ukraine when it ran aground off the northern coast of Andros and sank before dawn.

All nine crew members — eight Turkish nationals and one Azerbaijani citizen — were rescued.

The 52-year-old captain and the 32-year-old watch officer, both Turkish nationals, have been arrested and charged, including with negligence leading to the disaster.

The causes of the accident remain under investigation, although weather conditions at the time were reported to be favourable.

The area has been cordoned off with containment booms, and specialised coast guard ships have been deployed to mitigate possible pollution.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov