Bloomberg reported this in an article, citing sources, according to Ukrinform.

According to people familiar with the matter, Turkey’s Directorate General of Coastal Safety informed several vessels bound for the Russian port of Novorossiysk, a key center for oil and grain exports, that it was currently not issuing transit permits for such voyages or that applications to pass through the Dardanelles were taking longer to process.

In addition, according to the sources, some vessels were told that the restrictions also applied to ships bound for Ukraine.

Read also:Defense Forces strike two Russian oil refineries and observation post on Sivash drilling rig in Black Sea

The sources said that the Turkish side had provided no explanation for the move.

The Turkish Directorate General of Coastal Safety referred inquiries to the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure in Ankara, according to the report.

Bloomberg noted that, based on vessel-tracking data as of 1:00 p.m. local time, ships heading toward Bulgarian or Turkish ports continued moving north through the Dardanelles.

Earlier this week, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said that several crew members, including Turkish citizens, had been injured in drone attacks on two Turkish vessels.

As Ukrinform reported, on August 5, a German bulk carrier, Emil, sustained significant damage during a Russian missile and drone attack in the Black Sea.

Photo: freepik.com