Why are Russian tankers held up in the strait?

The fact that Russian ships leaving Russian ports on the Black Sea and queuing to cross the Turkish Strait into the Mediterranean were kept on hold for days due to insurance confirmation entered the agenda of the international public and the industry energetic.

Millions of barrels of oil shipped daily from Russian ports reach the Mediterranean via the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. However, it is also a matter of curiosity if these tankers will face longer waiting times in the coming days.

According to data from Reuters shipping agency Tribeca, the number of oil tankers waiting in the Black Sea to pass through the Bosphorus has risen to 20 today.

The fact that this insurance confirmation request was put into use before the EU and G7 price ceilings for Russian oil came into force also raised the question of whether the request was related to these sanctions.

EU AND G7 REJECTED

However, the European Commission spokesman, speaking to Reuters on the matter, said the price ceiling was not the reason tankers were waiting for passage in the Turkish Strait.

A G7 official also argued that the disruption in tanker traffic was caused by Turkey’s new insurance application, not sanctions against Russian oil.

According to the G7 price cap, Western insurance companies will be able to insure ships loaded with Russian oil only if the selling price of the oil is less than $60 a barrel.

‘NOT RELATED TO SANCTIONS’

However, Turkey is not a party to these sanctions. According to Russian expert and foreign policy expert Aydın Sezer, this practice has nothing to do with the EU and G7 sanctions. Evaluating the issue on Sozcu.com.tr, Sezer stated that there were other ships waiting in the strait and that the decision had to do with the security of the strait.

In his assessment on the issue, Sezer said:

This issue has nothing to do with the price ceiling applied by the G7 and the EU to oil prices. In that decision, an exception was made for vessels that loaded before December 5 to unload until January 19.

Turkey has already announced many times that it will not follow Western sanctions. Regarding the oil price ceiling embargo, it is clear that if the Russian ships waiting in Çanakkale remain idle, it will not be related to the oil price ceiling. Otherwise why would an empty ship wait there?

In the statement from the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs it was indicated that, “Similarly to the legislation in many countries, according to our national legislation, tankers that cannot offer a valid Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Insurance cannot pass through the Turkish Strait, and this rule has been applied since 2002.”

EXPLANATION OF THE GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF MARITIME

While it was stated in the statement that the implementation started on December 1, 2022, Sezer stated that this practice was based on Article 12 of the Implementation Instruction of the Regulation of Maritime Traffic of the Straits of Turkey.

According to the article, it must be determined that ships with a gross tonnage equal to or greater than 300 and ships that tow trailers have P&I insurance against possible risks.

‘RELATED TO THE SAFETY OF THE THROAT’

In his assessment on the issue, Sezer said: “This issue is related to the security of the straits. Especially with the changes made in 2019, it is about the limitations that Turkey has brought to the regulation of passage through the straits,” she said.

Sezer said: “In Article 12 of the Turkish Straits Maritime Traffic Regulations, Turkey must take measures related to safety and require insurance for all ships of 300 gross tonnage, full or empty, regarding passage. through the straits.”

Sezer said: “This insurance is a type of insurance called P&I. Turkey has been questioning whether this insurance exists from the 4th to the 5th. Most of the companies it asked are European flagged ships. There are also Russian ships, but 80 percent of them are European and Turkish ships,” she said.

Referring to the statement made yesterday by the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs, Sezer affirmed that the points in this statement were correct, saying: “Therefore, we must clearly determine that this situation has nothing to do with the application of the maximum price.” .

IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY?

Sezer responded to accusations that the ships were kept on hold due to any negotiations between Turkey and Russia:

“The question of whether we are negotiable or not has been written in the Russian press for 2-3 days. So many issues have come up in Turkey-Russia relations. Discounts on natural gas, Akkuyu, financing from Russia, Syria… I don’t think ships that are not Russian ships can be made more flexible. This is a necessary insurance for safety. But is there a special favor for Russia? There are question marks about that.”

HAS HAPPENED BEFORE

Stating that the insurance confirmation process took place two more times after 2019, Sezer claimed that in the past, this issue resolved itself within 4-5 days.

Sezer said: “Yesterday, the maritime industry also held talks with the authorities. The other party wants to give the confirmation letter only to ships that will visit Turkish ports, not to ships that will pass through the straits. They have determined such a bargaining position. It will probably be resolved in a few days,” he said.