The ship, named "Haksa," began taking on water in the early morning. Search and rescue vessels from Croatia and Italy have responded to assist efforts to keep the ship afloat.
The 85-meter-long ship had a crew of 11 Turks and two Indians.
The captain of the ship and four other crew members stayed on board to help prevent the ship from sinking altogether while 8 crew members were evacuated with the help of Italy's "Valcadorea" tanker and brought to the port of Split.
