17 March 2022; MEMO: An Emirati-flagged cargo ship carrying cars has reportedly sunk off the coast of Iran's Assaluyeh port in the southern Bushehr province, Anadolu News Agency reports.
According to the local port authority, the heavily loaded cargo sunk early on Thursday, 30 miles from the Assaluyeh port, situated on the southern coast of the Persian Gulf.
A team was immediately dispatched to rescue the 30-member crew onboard the ship, Anadolu Agency learned.
Assaluyeh Port is situated 300 km east of Bushehr province, and approximately 100 km from the South Pars gas field.
Local maritime authorities blamed "unfavourable weather and strong winds" for the incident, state media said.
The crew members were reportedly wearing life jackets at the time of the incident.
The search and rescue operation for the crew was under way at the time of filing this report.
Hours before the boat sinking incident, a 6 magnitude earthquake had struck neighbouring Hormozgan province.
