Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria Unite to Clear Floating Mines in Black Sea
Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria signed an agreement on Thursday on a joint plan to clear mines floating in the Black Sea as a result of the war in Ukraine, following months of talks between the NATO allies.Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler, his Romanian counterpart Angel Tilvar and Bulgaria's Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov signed a memorandum of understanding in Istanbul to form a trilateral initiative to clear the explosives."With the start of the war, a threat of floating mines in the Black Sea has arisen. To combat it ...
Four Cargo Ships Sail from Ukraine
Four ships carrying Ukrainian foodstuffs sailed from Ukrainian Black Sea ports on Sunday as part of a deal to unblock the country's sea exports, Ukrainian and Turkish officials said.The four bulk carriers were loaded with almost 170,000 tonnes of corn and other foodstuffs, Ukraine's sea ports authority said on Facebook.The resumption of grain exports is being overseen by a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul where Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. personnel are working.The United Nations and Turkey brokered the deal last month after U.N. warnings of possible outbreaks of famine in parts of the world due to a halt in grain shipments from Ukraine that had squeezed supplies and sent prices soaring.On Saturday…
Ukraine Seeks to Extend Shipping Safe Passage Deal Beyond Grain
Three grain ships left Ukrainian ports on Friday while the first inbound cargo vessel since Russia's invasion was due in Ukraine to load, as Kyiv called for the safe passage deal to be extended to other cargoes such as metals.The July 22 deal marked a rare diplomatic breakthrough as war rages in eastern Ukraine, with Kyiv trying to rebuild its shattered economy after more than five months of conflict."We expect that the security guarantees of our partners from the U.N. and Turkey will continue to work…
Three More Ships with Grain Leave Ukraine Under Landmark Deal
Three ships loaded with grain under a recently concluded deal have left Ukrainian ports, the Turkish Defense Ministry and Reuters witnesses said on Friday.The Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, which groups Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. personnel, said two ships were setting off from Chornomorsk and one from Odesa.The three vessels carrying a total of about 58,000 tonnes of corn have been authorized to leave Ukrainian ports as part of a deal to unblock grain exports.The Turkish Defense Ministry said on Twitter the Panama-flagged Navistar…
Turkey Defuses Stray Naval Mine in the Black Sea
A military diving team deactivated a stray naval mine off Turkey's northwest coast on Monday, Turkey's defense ministry said, the second such device to be defused in the area in days amid the war in Ukraine.NATO member Turkey borders the Black Sea, as does Russia and Ukraine, which Moscow invaded on February 24.Russia's main intelligence agency last week accused Ukraine of laying mines to protect ports and said several hundred of the explosives had broken off from cables and drifted away.
Turkey Sends Cypriot Vessel Away From Its Continental Shelf
Turkey sent a Greek Cypriot research vessel away from what it says is its continental shelf in the Mediterranean on Sunday after it entered the area without permission, Turkey's Defence Ministry said, in a sign of renewed tensions.For decades, Turkey has been at odds with Greece and Cyprus over competing territorial claims in the east Mediterranean, air space, energy, the status of some islands in the Aegean, and the breakaway Turkish state on the divided island of Cyprus.After months of tension last year that sparked fears of direct confrontation between NATO members Turkey and Greece, the two sides agreed in January to resume talks…
Cargo Ship Sinks in Black Sea, Off Turkey
A Palau-flagged freight ship has sunk off the coast of Turkey's Black Sea province of Bartin, killing two crew members, the coast guard said on Sunday, adding that search and rescue operations for more crew members were continuing.Bartin Governor Sinan Guner had initially said the ship, the ARVIN, was a Russian dry freight vessel that sank off the coast of the Inkumu region in poor weather, but later corrected that."The ARVIN ship attempted to take refuge at the Bartin port due to poor weather conditions as it carried cargo from Georgia to Bulgaria," Guner was quoted as saying by state-owned Anadolu news agency.The coast guard said the ship had sunk after taking in water amid heavy weather conditions.
MTU Logs Big Order in Turkey
The Tognum subsidiary MTU Friedrichshafen will supply 32 type 16V 4000 M90 engines for 16 new fast patrol boats destined for the Turkish coast guard. The Tognum subsidiary MTU Friedrichshafen recently received two major orders from the Turkish government to supply engines for new patrol boats and a new corvette for a total of approximately €60 million. For 16 new patrol boats, MTU Friedrichshafen will supply 32 engines of the type 16V 4000 M90, including transmission, to a dockyard in Turkey. A new generation of 400-ton boats capable of more than 25 knots is being produced to a Turkish design.
