Update: El Condor Pas Still Stuck in Bosphorus

zoom The 177-meter bulk carrier El Condor Pas which ran aground yesterday morning at Umuryeri Point in the Bosphorous Strait has till not been refloated, according to Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS). Traffic was suspended in both directions on the Bosphorus between 7 am and 1 pm local time today for rescue operations to re-float a vessel grounded on the northern side. Following the scheduled rescue operation today the vessel remains grounded but southbound passage in the Strait is confirmed to have restarted from 2:30 pm local time. The Panama-flagged bulker was en route to the Port of Samsun on the Turkish Black Sea coast when it ran aground at around 5 am local time, September 9. The cause of the grounding is reportedly a navigational error as the 33,476 dwt vessel made a premature turn. GAC reports that the bulker did not have a pilot on board and that no damage or oil leaks have been reported so far.