Update on the Weird Storm

Last time I talked about the storm and the ships grounded just below our house. Well I have an update and clarification on that blog.

First the clarification about the Jetties. One jetty sank not two as was reported. Only the Karaköy Iskele sank. Now I am not a reporter, but I did ask several times before I wrote the blog for clarification on which jetty, or was it both, sank and was assured that it was indeed both. I thought with their names being so similar that they may have been confused and that was the case.

Now the fun part, the three ships that are grounded at the bottom of the cliff here. It turns out that all three of these are fuel tankers. Interesting part of the story is that all three were under confiscation by the Turkish Government at the time of the storm and were tied up to the large shipping jetty about two kilometers south of where they are still grounded and leaking. Why were they confiscated? Well they attempted to smuggle fuel through the Bosporus without paying the fuel tax.

Now the big questions, 1. why isn't anything being done about them and 2. what will be done about the ships and the mess they are making of the coastline?

1. As far as I can find out, I am limited by language, the Government is apparently waiting for the owners to come retrieve their ships by paying the fines and taxes for the fuel they WERE carrying. Yea right. I am pretty sure there will be a lot of legal wrangling that will take forever.

2. kind of answered by 1. Who is responsible for the mess, the shipper or the government who had custody of the ships at the time they were wrecked?

I look at it this way. The government needs to take immediate action to stop the environmental impact of the ships. They need to get the ships off the rocks, and stop the leaking NOW! Then they can get the rightful owner of the ships to pay for it later.

Anyway someone needs to be responsible and stop the ecological disaster that is happening as I write. All three ships are still on the rocks rolling back and forth with each wave, two of them are still banging into each other with each and every wave. The one on its side appears to be the only one that is leaking, and most of that is probably coming out the tops of the tanks through the vents.

Come on Turkey, get off the fence and save YOUR environment. People are still fishing there every day!

Peace and Love

LeePsycho