Turkey has since 2016 recorded a total of 3,223 maritime accidents in which 677 people died and 390 went missing, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing data from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
According to the report, some 25,000 people were rescued from the accidents.
Maritime safety came up as a topic of discussion following the sinking of a cargo ship in the Marmara Sea last week.
Six crew members were initially reported missing after the incident. The bodies of two of them had been recovered as of Tuesday, according to reports in the Turkish press.
The authorities were criticized for their slow response despite the fact that the vessel sank in an inland sea, just four nautical miles off the shore.
The accident also raised doubts about safety standards in maritime transportation as it was revealed that the cargo ship was kept in operation after going aground in April 2021 while approaching a seaport to unload cargo.
Yankı Bağcıoğlu, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said, “We are faced with the consequences of operating vessels that have outlived their use.”
Bağcıoğlu also called for the purchase of multipurpose helicopters to be used by the coastguard in search and rescue operations.