Turkey has imposed restrictions on commercial vessels entering the Black Sea via the Dardanelles Strait following growing security concerns stemming from recent attacks targeting ships in the region, Bloomberg News reported, citing informed sources.
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According to Bloomberg, the Directorate General of Coastal Safety withheld transit permits or delayed the review of applications for several vessels bound for Russia's port of Novorossiysk—a primary hub for oil and grain exports—as well as some ships heading to Ukraine.
Turkish authorities have provided no official explanation for the move, which effectively limits maritime movement toward the Black Sea amid an escalation in drone attacks targeting commercial shipping.
These restrictions follow a statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry earlier this week confirming that several crew members, including Turkish citizens, were injured in drone strikes on two Turkish-owned vessels. Ankara called on the warring parties to take urgent measures to safeguard navigation in the Black Sea.
The maritime restrictions threaten to exert further pressure on global energy and agricultural supply chains, which are already suffering from broader geopolitical tensions, including oil supply disruptions in the Middle East and a sharp rise in global grain prices.
Ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg indicated that vessels bound for Turkish or Bulgarian ports continued their northward transit through the Dardanelles Strait without hindrance.
