Bulker Pilatus Marie grounds at Dardanelles narrows, suspends traffic for 12 hours

A 56,632-tonne bulker ran aground in the Dardanelles on July 29 and blocked the strait in both directions for roughly twelve hours. Pilatus Marie, registered in San Marino, was heading from Syria toward Russia when it lost engine power at the Nara turn, the tightest section of the Canakkale Strait.

Turkish maritime authorities sent two salvage tugs, Kurtarma-19 and Kurtarma-16. Pilatus Marie was refloated the same day.

Traffic stopped both ways. Port state control records showed deficiencies on engine systems before the July 29 grounding.

For context on traffic through narrow waterways, our guides cover maritime chokepoints in global trade, tracking ships by region, and understanding changes in a ship’s route.