Turkish oil carrier cuts all ties with Russia after tanker explosions

Last week, the oil tanker Mersin sustained four external explosions while anchored near Dakar. As a result of the explosions, the vessel sustained serious damage; the cause remains unclear.

A few days after the Mersin incident, its owner, Besiktas Shipping, announced that it was suspending all voyages to and from Russia. There will be no operations involving Russian cargoes or customers, as the risks are too great.

"However, the security situation in the region has escalated considerably. After a thorough assessment, we have concluded that the risks posed to our vessels and crew have become untenable," the statement said.

Besiktas Shipping, headquartered in Istanbul, is one of Türkiye's largest tanker owners. Its fleet consists of 29 tankers, and the company's vessels have repeatedly transported cargoes of Russian oil.

Meanwhile, the cost of shipping cargo through the Black Sea has increased after attacks on two tankers bound for a Russian port, and the growing threats and potential strikes have led to higher war-risk insurance rates.

On November 28, a fire broke out in the Black Sea, near the Bosphorus, on two tankers belonging to Russia's so-called shadow fleet. And on November 29, RBC-Ukraine sources reported that Ukraine's Security Services' Sea Baby maritime drones carried out a successful strike on two sanctioned tankers, Kairo and Virat, in the Black Sea.

On December 2, in the Black Sea, approximately 80 miles off the northern coast of Türkiye, the small tanker Midvolga 2, which was transporting sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia, came under attack. But in this case, it was clearly a provocation by the Russian regime: Ukraine immediately denied involvement in the attack.