The Turkish earthquake affected port operation, and what should ships do when encountering an earthquake during navigation?

On February 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southeast Turkiye and parts of the Mediterranean coast, causing damage to part of port terminals and disruption to operations. A large number of containers collapsed at the port of Iskenderun, causing damage to maritime infrastructure. Operations at the Ceyhan oil terminal in Turkiye have also been halted. So what should ships do if they encounter an earthquake during navigation or in port? E-PORTS will tell you the answer today, and at the same time remind the surrounding ships to pay attention to aftershocks or tsunamis ~

Can ships feel earthquakes in the middle of the ocean?

From the perspective of the principle of earthquake and tsunami, when a tsunami with huge energy travels in the ocean, its wave length is hundreds of kilometers long, but its amplitude is only a few meters, which is very difficult for seafarers to detect such long waves , even with instruments. In fact, for seafarers sailing in the ocean, the tsunami waves in the ocean do not pose a great threat to the safety of ships. What they are more concerned about is the impact of the tsunami to them before they reach the shore and port. Of course, at this time, the ship should maintain the normal operation of the communication equipment, to ensure that the navigation warnings and broadcast notifications can be received in time. If seafarers know that an earthquake has occurred in a certain place and triggered a tsunami, and it will have a serious impact on the near sea and the port that the ship will reach, they should steer to the deep sea to avoid the impact of the tsunami.

What should ships do when docking or encountering an earthquake or tsunami?

Tsunami is very harmful to berthing and anchoring ships, which is easy to mislead them and break their cable, resulting in collision, stranding and even capsizing. If no warning has been received and no abnormality has been detected before the tsunami, good seamanship should be used to maneuver the ship and ensure the safety of the ship and personnel. When the ship is berthed at dock, the tsunami waves and tides change rapidly, and the hull moves fast up and down, back and forth, causing a lot of stress on the cable to make sound, and even to break. In this case, double anchors can be dropped, and combined the use of vehicles and adjustment of chao cables, fore and aft spring lines and breastlines to suppress tsunami waves and tides against the ship.

If the earthquake triggers a tsunami, actually, the farther the ship is in the open sea, the safer it is. Therefore, ships that are going to berth or berth on the shore should sail to open sea in time to avoid the danger.

Ships at sea should avoid returning to the harbor after hearing a tsunami warning, because the drops and turbulence caused by tsunami in the harbor are very dangerous. If there is enough time, the captain should sail the ship out to open sea before the tsunami arrives. If there is no time to leave the harbour, everyone has to evacuate the ships berthed in the harbour.

When the tsunami passed, ships could not return immediately. At this time, ?dangerous conditions such as currents could occur at any time.

What should the dock do when the earthquake is coming?

When an earthquake occurs, the crew members at the dock should avoid panic, and should make full use of nearby tables, chairs, beds, pipe rack columns and other solid objects to protect themselves and prevent injuries.

Immediately stop all loading and discharging operation, and close all valves that should be closed according to the regulation, including cut-off valve.

Actively organize rescue the wounded and self-rescue.

In order to prevent secondary disasters such as tsunami, ships are required to leave the port.

Cut off the power supply to prevent flames.

In case of secondary disasters such as explosion and fire, fire fighting and rescue should be organized immediately, and external fire rescue force should be requested when necessary.

Evacuate people to a safe area if necessary.

Turkish strong earthquake has caused serious impact on global shipping

Turkiye is located in the global shipping hub, across the Eurasian continent, connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The Turkish Strait is also known as the "world's throat" because of its unique and important geographical location. What impact will this earthquake have on Turkiye and the global shipping market?

The earthquake will affect normal production and life in Turkiye, and the impact on Turkey's industrial and supply chain will exacerbate the currency depreciation and inflation in Turkiye.

Turkiye lies between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The Bosphorus Strait in central Turkiye is an important shipping route for the world. The earthquake will undoubtedly bring more uncertainty to the normal navigation of the strait.

Under the background of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Bosphorus Strait near Russia and Ukraine bears the important function of transporting grain and gas to Europe. The uncertainty faced by the strait may affect the price trend of commodities and the stable operation of the international industrial chain and supply chain.

E-PORTS reminds shipowners or shipping companies that the temporary operation pf ports caused by the recent earthquake in Turkiye will greatly affect the shipping schedule. Please find a more suitable port to berth as soon as possible to avoid the impact of aftershocks or congestion in Turkiye on the shipping schedule and other safety aspects.