Turkey resumed allowing ships to transit its straits on the way to the Black Sea, following unexplained delays for some vessels amid heightened security risks in the area.
Crude oil tanker Aegean Dream entered the Dardanelles Strait on Sunday after waiting in the area since Thursday, and was signaling its destination as the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal in Russia’s Novorossiysk, according to ship tracking data. Container vessel Mehmet Kahveci A also passed through the waterway early Sunday signaling Novorossiysk. Turkey’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety had told some ships bound for Russian and Ukrainian ports in recent days that it wasn’t currently issuing transit permits for such voyages, Bloomberg reported Saturday.
Authorities didn’t give the vessels a reason for the move and haven’t commented publicly on the matter. The Transport and Infrastructure Ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment on Sunday.
The delays came after Turkey’s government became increasingly vocal about attacks against merchant shipping in the Black Sea, several of which have targeted Turkish-owned or flagged vessels.
Bloomberg reported on Saturday that Ukraine has agreed to help ensure safe passage for some non-Russian oil tankers, citing a US official.
Turkey has asked both Ukraine and Russia to declare a “moratorium” on attacks in the Black Sea, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the state—run Anadolu Agency in an interview overnight.
“We have several measures regarding this matter that we presented to our president. We are putting them into effect,” he said.
Source: Bloomberg
Robban Assafina is now on WhatsApp channel. Click Here
