Turkey, Mar 8: India has joined an international search for the cargo ship which sank off the coast of Turkey late last month with 25 Indian sailors on board even as the vessel remained untraced. "Till date there has been no trace of personal effects, material or any sign of the missing crew on Turkish Shores," Directorate General of Shipping said in a statement.

The ship M V Rezzak, which was on its way from Russia to Turkey carrying steel billets, went missing on February 18 in the Black Sea in the midst of bad weather. The statement said the Indian official has reached Turkey and is looking into the matter as an observer along with the flag state investigator- Panama.

The ship is owned by a Turkish company and registered in Panama. A few days ago, Turkey had stopped the search and rescue operation because of no result. However, it has resumed the search following India's request.

There have been no inputs from International Maritime Board, Kuala Lumpur, which is looking for evidences of hijack.

IMB, Kuala Lumpur, is a nodal agency that looks into matters relating to hijack on international water.

"The Directorate is in touch with IMB Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur, and pursuing with them to trace the whereabouts of the vessel and her crew," the statement said.

It said the IMB is responding favourably and seeking more details on the identification of the vessel, which has been provided to it.