UPDATE - Turkey: Ship freed after running aground in Bosphorus

UPDATE TO SHIP'S LAST STATUS, HEADLINE DECK, LEDE

By Muhammed Gencebay Gur and Abidin Mutlu Bozdag

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish authorities rescued a Liberia-flagged cargo ship that had run aground in the shoreline of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul on Friday.

The ship, called Songa Iridium, stranded near the Rumeli Fortress after it had left Ukraine's Port of Odessa.

The machine malfunction was cited for the incident.

The cargo ship was 191-meters (626-feet) long and weighted over 23,500 gross ton.

The rescue boats from Directorate General of Coast Safety rushed to the scene to save the ship.

The ship was towed by tugboats of the country's Directorate General of Coastal Safety.

During a meeting with Turkish officials, the ship's captain said that the ship was floating adjoining the coast.

The provincial governor's office said no casualties had resulted from the incident, adding that no pollutants had spilled into the sea.

It noted that the ship with its 19 crew members hit the shore near the historical Rumeli Fortress 13 minutes after a maritime pilot gave a malfunction signal at 12.00 p.m. local time (0900GMT).

The statement said three following ships passing through the strait were safely through the Bosphorus, with one tanker anchored and strait passage suspended.

Strait traffic is planned to reopen at 4.00 p.m. local time.