Turkey resumes Black Sea ship transit after three-day suspension
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Turkey resumes transit for merchant ships through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus on August 9, ending a three-day suspension that stranded vessels bound for Novorossiysk. The move follows Ankara’s call for a moratorium on attacks against commercial shipping in the Black Sea.
The Transit Halt
Between August 6 and 8, Turkey’s General Directorate of Coastal Safety told several vessels bound for Novorossiysk and Ukraine that it would not issue transit permits and needed extra time for review, Bloomberg reported. The tanker Aegean Dream and container ship Mehmet Kahveci A were held at the Dardanelles entrance. Turkey’s transport ministry did not publicly explain the restrictions.
Ankara's Moratorium Call
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the Anadolu news agency that Turkey proposed a moratorium on attacks against merchant ships to both warring sides. He said a set of measures was presented to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and that implementation had begun. A senior U.S. official separately told Bloomberg that Ukraine had agreed to help secure safe passage for non-Russian oil tankers.
Black Sea Attacks
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said on July 30 it had struck 75 Russian tankers in the Black Sea since July 6 under an operation dubbed ‘MoLoChKa’. Turkey’s foreign ministry reported on August 4 that crew members, including Turkish nationals, were injured in drone strikes on two Turkish-owned ships. Russia conducted 23 strikes on Ukrainian ports and 17 attacks on civilian vessels in the first two weeks of July, threatening Ukraine’s grain exports.
What's Next
Turkey’s moratorium proposal is under discussion with Kyiv and Moscow, but no formal ceasefire for commercial shipping has been agreed. Shipping industry officials warn that without a durable halt to attacks, insurance premiums could spike and transit volumes may fall further.
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Turkey resumes Black Sea ship transit after three-day suspension
