Steve's Marine Disaster Pages This tanker, the NASSIA, was engulfed in flames in the Bosphorus after a collision with a smaller vessel in March 1994. The collision was catastrophic for both those on board and those on land, where considerable pollution resulted. This was one of 5 accidents in the Bosphorus that occurred in a 2 month period. The Bosphorus is one of the most potentially dangerous shipping channels in the world, yet a vital link between the Black Sea and the outside world. In 1979 a collision between a Romanian and a Greek tanker caused spillage of over 95,000 TONS OF OIL, some of which burned for weeks. In 1991 a Lebanese vessel struck one of the Bosphorus bridges and sank with its cargo of 20,000 live sheep. The resulting decay produced a noxious effect so terrible that there is still no marine life in the area. February and March 1994 were particularly grim months for the residents of Istanbul; 5 collisions occurred in the Bosphorus, including the Greek Cypriot tanker Nassia, resulting in over 30 deaths and an oil slick that burned for 5 days. This catastrophe closed the waterway to traffic and dispersed 20,000 TONS OF OIL. CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR GREAT WATERWAYS PAGES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BOSPHORUS ...... To return to Steve's Maritime Page CLICK HERE This is a purely non-commercial website designed for general interest and education purposes only. It is strictly forbidden for anyone to download or otherwise copy any material from this or other pages within this website without the written permission of the owners of this website. No commercial usage of any material within this website is permitted. However, if we have accidentally breached a copyright attaching to any of the material on this page, and we shall remove the item concerned immediately.