Grain carrier splits in two en route to Turkish shipyard for repairs

The general cargo ship Leonardo, which was built in 1975, was 114 meters long (374 feet), had a breadth of 13 meters (42.6 feet) and a deadweight of 3,348 tons before splitting apart near Kumköy, west of the Black Sea entrance to the Bosporus.    The 11-person crew of the Mongolian-flagged grain carrier Leonardo had to be rescued over the weekend after the vessel broke in half as it was sailing to shore for repairs, according to Turkey’s General Directorate of Coastal Safety.
   The vessel, which was built in 1975, was 114 meters long (374 feet), had a breadth of 13 meters (42.6 feet) and a deadweight of 3,348 tons before splitting apart near Kumköy, west of the Black Sea entrance to the Bosporus.
   The vessel’s owner is Ukraine-based Splinter Shipping Ltd.
   The General Directorate of Coastal Safety said that other than its crew, the cargo ship was empty and anchored at the time of the incident. It was waiting transit to a shipyard in the Turkish city of Tuzla for repair.
   The crew was rescued by the General Directorate of Coastal Safety and later hospitalized for evaluation.
   The front half of the Leonardo was eventually pulled ashore by tugboats, while the back end remained in the water, where it gradually sank.
   A very brief video of the broken apart vessel on the water can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i19xrZmpXYY