The Turkish company Besiktas Shipping announced that it would cease all activities related to the transportation of Russian oil. The decision was made after the damage to their tanker Mersin, which was the victim of four explosions off the coast of Senegal. Company representatives emphasized that the threat to crews and ships had become unacceptable.
Reuters quotes the shipowner's statement in which he announced his resignation from sailing to Russia.
“We have strictly adhered to all international sanctions regimes in our operations, maintaining full compliance with the G7/EU price cap mechanism and all applicable trade restrictions. Nevertheless, there has been a significant escalation of the situation in the region. After a thorough assessment, we concluded that the risk to our crews and units had become unbearable“, the company announced.
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Besiktas Shipping has – according to information from its website – a fleet of 29 tankers, which, as noted by Reuters, makes it one of the largest shipowners in Turkey.
The agency writes that the causes of Mersin's damage are unclear. On Monday, however, it cited another statement by the shipowner, who informed that the damage to the side and flooding of the ship's engine room with water occurred as a result of four external explosions.
Read also: Poland attacks the Russian “shadow fleet”. The EU is preparing tougher sanctions
The Mersin ship was anchored near Dakar when explosions occurred just before midnight on November 27, causing water to enter the engine room of the tanker used to transport Russian oil. Reuters also recalls that on the same night that Mersin was damaged off the coast of Africa, Ukrainian naval drones attacked two tankers carrying Russian oil in the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the attacks in the Black Sea
On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea unacceptable during a meeting with journalists in Ankara.
“The targeting of individuals in our exclusive economic zone signals a disturbing escalation” Erdogan said.
Read also: Russian shadow fleet off the coast of another country. “A cause for concern”
The very next day after the Turkish president's speech, news agencies reported that a Russian-flagged tanker sailing in the Black Sea, carrying – according to Russia – sunflower oil, reported a drone attack off the coast of Turkey.
