Türkiye lifts Black Sea tanker restrictions after a temporary halt — Bloomberg
Türkiye resumes vessel transit to Black Sea ports (photo: Getty Images)
Türkiye has resumed allowing commercial vessels to pass through its straits toward the Black Sea. Tankers and container ships resumed operations after several days of uncertainty due to security risks in the region, according to Bloomberg.
Resumption details
Based on the outlet's data, vessel-tracking data showed that the oil tanker Aegean Dream entered the Dardanelles on Sunday, August 9, after waiting since Thursday.
Its final destination is the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal in Russia's Novorossiysk. On Sunday morning, the container ship Mehmet Kahveci A also passed through the waterway, also heading to Novorossiysk.
Earlier, Türkiye's Directorate General of Coastal Safety notified vessels bound for Ukrainian and Russian ports about a temporary suspension of transit permits.
Turkish authorities and the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry did not provide official explanations for the move.
Security threats, proposed moratorium
The delays coincided with growing concerns on the Turkish side about the safety of civilian shipping.
Recently, attacks on commercial vessels have increased in the Black Sea, including ships flying the Turkish flag or owned by Turkish companies.
In response, Ankara proposed that the parties to the conflict temporarily halt attacks on civilian vessels.
According to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the country called on Ukraine and Russia to impose restrictions on attacks in the Black Sea.
"We have several measures regarding this matter that we presented to our president. We are putting them into effect," the Turkish foreign minister said.
In addition, according to sources among US officials, Ukraine agreed to help ensure safe passage for certain non-Russian oil tankers.
Black Sea escalation
As previously reported, Türkiye recently restricted vessel passage into the Black Sea due to a surge in attacks in the region. At the time, the temporary measures applied to civilian vessels bound for Ukrainian and Russian ports.
Ankara later officially approached both sides with a proposal to halt attacks on civilian targets.
In particular, Türkiye called on Ukraine and Russia to declare a moratorium on attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated.
