ISTANBUL (dpa-AFX) – Turkey has expelled five oil tankers from its waters due to a lack of insurance. The Turkish Ministry of Transport announced on Monday that the Dardanelles strait had been closed and thus taken out of its own territorial waters.
The background is the EU oil price cap that has been in effect since December 5th. The regulation is intended to force Russia to sell oil to buyers in other countries for a maximum of $60 per barrel (159 liters). Since then, Western insurance companies have only been able to insure shipments of Russian oil if the upper price limit is observed.
According to the Ministry of Transport, the five tankers had already been waiting for passage when the new rules came into force. In connection with the price cap, there were delays in oil transports on Turkish waterways. Turkey cited the lack of evidence of insurance coverage as the reason. According to the official statement, the government fears that an accident while passing through Turkish waterways will not be compensated.
However, it is assumed that traffic will continue without any problems in a few days, according to the Ministry of Transport. The forwarding agency Tribeca also informed dpa on Monday that “things” would normalize again and insurers would submit the necessary documents.
According to the ministry, 16 tankers are currently awaiting their passage through the Bosphorus, from the Black Sea towards the Mediterranean. Four of them should pass the straits on Monday. The others had not yet submitted any relevant proof of insurance. The waiting tankers are loaded with 1.8 million tons of oil./apo/DP/mis
