Turkiye Restricts Ships From Sailing To Ukrainian Or Russian Ports By Not Issuring Transit Permits

Türkiye is restricting commercial vessels in the Black Sea amid increasing attacks on turkish ships heading to Russian ports.

Türkiye’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety said that many ships destined to Russia’s Novorossiysk Port, which is a major oil and grain export hub, are not getting transit permits for their voyages, or they are being told that more time will be needed to review their applications to cross the Dardanelles.

The restriction is also applicable to vessels heading to Ukraine. This measure is meant to prevent any more attacks on Turkish civilian vessels.

The decision comes after the latest attack on a Turkish ship called MV Gulluk, which was struck by a drone off the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

The living quarters were targeted; however, no crew members were injured, and there were no casualties as well. According to reports, the Gulluk has set sail for Istanbul.

Türkiye’s Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said the Ro-Ro cargo vessel Nadezhda was struck by a drone off Novorossiysk on Aug. 3 while sailing from the Russian port to Samsun.

3 of its 22 crew members are in serious condition following the attack.13 of them were Turkish nationals who were rescued by Russian maritime units and taken to Novorossiysk.

Two turkish civilian vessels, the Yasar and the Nadezhda, were also attacked after leaving Novorossiysk.

The ministry said it was “deeply concerned about the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, which is affecting civilian shipping despite our numerous warnings.”

A Turkish bulk carrier, Reyhan Sari, also came under drone attack while sailing from Russia’s Port of Taman to Trabzon. In the attack, a crew member was killed, and three others were wounded.

After this, the parties called on Russia and Ukraine to protect civilian ships in the region as recurrent attacks on ships carrying grain and other essential goods could lead to food insecurity.

“We reiterate our call to all relevant actors, especially the warring parties, to urgently implement concrete measures to ensure navigational safety in the Black Sea,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Ukraine has attacked Russian flag ships and also those with connections to Moscow in the black sea during this conflict after blaming Russia for using shipping routes for transporting sanctioned goods.

Russia has also retaliated by attacking Ukrainian ports and ships, which Kyiv called a war crime.

The restrictions do not apply to other routes, as ships heading to Bulgaria and Turkey continue to sail through the Dardanelles as of 1:00 pm on Saturday.