Turkey is restricting some commercial ship traffic into the Black Sea, according to people familiar with the matter, following growing concern from the government over an uptick in Russian and Ukrainian attacks on vessels in the area.
The Directorate General of Coastal Safety has held back transit permits or delayed application reviews for multiple vessels bound for Russia’s key oil and grain export hub of Novorossiysk, as well as some ships heading to Ukraine, according to the report.
Turkish authorities have offered no official explanation for the move, which effectively curbs maritime traffic into the Black Sea amid an escalation in drone attacks against commercial shipping.
The Directorate General directed inquiries to Turkey’s Transport and Infrastructure Ministry, which did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours.
The restrictions follow an statement from Turkey’s Foreign Ministry earlier in the week confirming that several crew members, including Turkish nationals, were injured in drone strikes on two Turkish-owned ships. Ankara called on warring parties to establish urgent measures to safeguard Black Sea navigation.
The traffic curbs threaten further strain on global energy and agricultural supply chains already coping with broader geopolitical tensions, including Middle East oil supply disruptions and surging international grain prices.
Ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg indicated that vessels bound for Turkish or Bulgarian ports continued to pass north through the Dardanelles unimpeded.
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Source: Bloomberg
