Russian Naval Intelligence Ship Sinks After Collision With Vessel Carrying Livestock

Russian naval intelligence ship sank after it collided with a Turkish vessel carrying livestock off Black sea coast because of the poor visibility early Friday Morning.

There were no casualties from either ships. The incident took place in fog and low visibility 18 miles from Kilyos village on the Turkey’s Balck Sea coast north of Istanbul, Reuters reported Friday.

All 78 personnel on board the Russian ship were evacuated; Turkish officials were quoted by the agency as saying.

The rescued crew members of the Russian ship Liman were in good health after the collision with the Togo-flagged Youzarsif H, Turkey's Transport Minister Ahmed Arslan said.

Turkish authorities dispatched a tugboat and three fast rescue vessels, the coastal safety authority said.

Russian warships frequently pass through the narrow Bophorus Strait, which cuts through Istanbul, on their way from the Black Sea to Syria's Mediterranean coast.

“We don’t know our losses yet, but thank God there is no loss of life - neither from our side nor from the other ship," a spokesman for Hammami Livestock which owns the Youzarsif H said, adding the livestock carrier was heading to Jordan's Red Sea port of Aqaba from Romania.

When the collision took place, at 11.45 am (0845 GMT), the Bosphorus had already been closed to shipping because of the poor visibility, shipping agency GAC said.