Winter storms, increased'security' risks and shorter daylight hours have caused delays for oil tankers traveling through the Turkish Straits.

According to traders, the congestion is worsened due to increased security checks after recent attacks against tankers transporting Russian oil, and strikes on port infrastructure at Novorossiysk.

A Ukrainian official confirmed that on Wednesday, Ukrainian drones disabled a Russian shadow fleet tanker as it passed through Ukraine's exclusive economic zone en route to Novorossiysk. In the Black Sea, earlier this month, several ships involved in Russian 'goods transport' were damaged amid increased military activity.

Turkey's Foreign minister Hakan?Fidan has warned that recent attacks on Russian-linked tankers threaten the safety of all shipping throughout the region.

The Bosphorus Strait and Dardanelles Strait, which connect the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, is a major route for exporting crude oil from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. The narrow waterways are also used to transport dry commodities.

CPC Blend suppliers are already under pressure due to the loading delays at CPC Terminal, said traders. As winter-related disruptions worsened, some refiners might turn to alternative supply sources?from Africa or the Middle East.

According to sources, the preliminary loading plans for Russian Urals, Siberian Light Crude and Kazakh KEBCO out of Novorossiysk have been set at an all-time high 0.9 million barrels a day.

Underwriters reported that war insurance costs for ships sailing into the Black Sea increased to 0.6%-1.0% of a ship's value from 0.4%-0.6% in last week as insurers reviewed policies every day due to rising risks.

(source: Reuters)