Bosphorus Straits News

Several hundred mines have drifted into the Black Sea after breaking off from cables near Ukrainian ports, Russia's main intelligence agency and shipping market participants said.The Black Sea is a major shipping artery for grain, oil, and oil products."Due to storm weather, the cables connecting the mines to anchors were broken," Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said in a press release dated March 19."Due to wind and water currents…

Turkey’s pledge to block some Russian warships from passing through its waters to the Black Sea during the Ukraine crisis could help repair its ties with NATO, even as it risks reprisals from Moscow.But a buildup of Russian ships waiting to make the journey will test Ankara’s resolve over the next few days and show how far it is willing to go in tilting its uniquely delicate diplomatic balance between east and west.Turkey changed its rhetoric to call Moscow’s assault on Ukraine…

Insurers have raised the cost of providing cover for merchant ships through the Black Sea, adding to soaring rates to transport goods through the region for vessels still willing to sail after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Ship owners pay annual war-risk insurance cover as well as an additional "breach" premium when entering high-risk areas. These separate premiums are calculated according to the value of the ship, or hull, for a seven-day period.Ship insurers have quoted the additional premium rate for seven days at anywhere between 1% to 2% and up to 5% of insurance costs…

Turkey cannot stop Russian warships accessing the Black Sea via its straits, as Ukraine has requested, due to a clause in an international pact that allows vessels to return to their home base, the Turkish foreign minister said on Friday.Ukraine has appealed to Turkey to block Russian warships from passing through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits which lead to the Black Sea, after Moscow on Thursday launched a full-blown assault on Ukraine from land, air, and sea. Russian forces landed at Ukraine's Black and Azov Sea ports as part of the invasion.

Turkey shut its Dardanelles Strait to tankers and its flag carrier cancelled some domestic and international flights in and out of Istanbul due to a storm. The Dardanelles waterway is frequently forced to shut during the winter due to rough weather, usually at least two or three times a month. Five northbound and three southbound tankers waiting to pass through the Dardanelles were expected to be scheduled to do so on Tuesday, shipping agency GAC said. The Bosphorus Strait remained open. Connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits form one of the world's major energy shipping routes, with about 10,000 vessels carrying 150 million tonnes of oil and petroleum products on the waterways every year.

Keppel FELS, a member of the Keppel Group, has successfully established a foothold in Azerbaijan through its joint venture yard, Caspian Shipyard Company. The world leader in the construction of jack-up rigs celebrates the first operating birthday of its rig built in the Caspian Sea. Keppel FELS retraces its trailblazing record as the first Singaporean company to build jack-up rigs there. “This is not business as usual, but it’s our business. We conduct it with a ‘can do’ attitude…. “Caspian Shipyard Company has established an industry capability that will have long term benefits to the country and the Caspian Region… It is the industry expectation that Caspian Shipyard will continue on to become a strong regional player…

Russia has the seventh largest oil reserves in the world (6% of total), after 5 Middle East Countries (totalling 63%) and Venezuela (7%). The other Former Soviet Union (FSU) republics Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have together less than 2% of the total world reserves, estimated by BP to be some 1048 thousand million barrels. The Russian reserves are spread over a huge area: West Siberia, Volga-Urals, North Caucasus, the Caspian area, the Far East regions, and Eastern Siberia. The last region is estimated to be 90% unexplored, and also the Caspian area and the Far East regions were said by the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Ivan Glumov, to be to a great extent unexplored, according to INTERFAX.

Turkey said on Tuesday it would bar the passage of a large, decommissioned aircraft carrier through Istanbul's busy Bosphorus straits after China said it wanted to convert into a floating pleasure center. "Passage of such a massive vessel would pose a serious threat for the city, for people, for the strait itself," said the head of the Istanbul Maritime office. "We are on alert against any other possible attempt by the vessel to pass the Bosphorus," he continued. He said the 1,003 ft. (306.5 m) Varyag, purchased from Ukraine, had been denied passage out into the Mediterranean several times since July and had been escorted out of Turkish waters into the Black Sea where it is currently floating.

A Turkish-flagged cargo ship sank on Sunday after colliding head-on with another vessel in the Bosphorus straits, the coast guard said. The stricken Kaptan Cavit's seven member crew was rescued after a collision with another Turkish-flagged cargo ship, the Nadya, at the Black Sea end of the straits early on Sunday, a coast guard spokesman in Istanbul said. The 1,175 dwt Kaptan Cavit had been en route to Bulgaria with 1,100 tons of wheat. The 914 dwt Nadya was carrying 480 tons of slag to the Turkish town of Izmit, the state-run Anatolian news agency said. The coast guard spokesman said the Nadya had suffered serious damage to its prow but did not appear to be in immediate danger of sinking. Investigators were still trying to determine what had caused the vessels to collide, he said.

Two containerships collided on Thursday near the northern entrance to Turkey's Bosphorus straits, forcing the crew of one to abandon its vessel. It said the 2,258-gt Turkish-flagged Akaylar-2, exiting the straits into the Black Sea, was involved in a collision with the southbound 8,971-dwt Cambodian-registered Med Glory, which was badly damaged. Turkish television showed pictures of Med Glory listing, with water almost up to its deck at the stern. - (Reuters)

The Turkey-flag container ship Akaylar II has left Desan Shipyard, Tuzla, Turkey, after repairs were completed on the collision damaged vessel, Reuters reported. Akaylar II was towed to Tuzla from Buyukdere, where it had initially been towed following a collision around the entrance to the Bosphorus straits. The 4,263-dwt Akaylar II was leaving the straits for the Black Sea when it was involved in a collision with the southbound 8,971-dwt Cambodia-flag Med Glory, which was badly damaged. The Med Glory carrying 7,500 tons of urea, was refloated from a beach close to the scene on February 16, and was anchored nearby awaiting the outcome of discussions between vessel and cargo owners.

Istanbul's Bosphorus straits were closed to shipping for several hours on Monday to allow a massive pipeline laying platform owned by Saipem to pass through into the Black Sea, shipping officials said. The Saipem 7000 entered the straits at around 9:45 am (0645 GMT) on its way to lay an undersea gas pipeline in the Black Sea as part of the Blue Stream pipeline that will carry Russian gas to Turkey. Officials expect the platform to exit the Straits early Monday evening. The Blue Stream project is a partnership between Turkey's Botas, Eni of Italy and Gazprom of Russia. - (Reuters)