m delay in transits of the Dardanelles into the Black Sea imposed by Türkiye imposed late last week has been lifted, at least partially. The country resumed allowing ships to transit its straits on the way to the Black Sea, following unexplained delays for some vessels amid heightened security risks in the area. Crude oil tanker Aegean Dream (IMO 9645425) entered the Dardanelles Strait on Sunday August 9th after waiting in the area since the previous Thursday. It was heading for the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal in the port of Novorossiysk, eastern Black Sea. Container ship Mehmet Kahveci A (IMO 9248916) also passed through the Dardanelles early on Sunday, with Novorossiysk as its listed destination.
Late last week the Turkish Directorate General of Coastal Safety (DGCS) had told some ships bound for Russian and Ukrainian ports that the DGCS was not currently issuing transit permits for such voyages (see yesterday’s IMN).
Türkiye gave no explanation for the decision and is yet to comment on the matter publicly. However, the delays came after the Turkish government became increasingly vocal about attacks against merchant shipping in the Black Sea, several of which have targeted Turkish-owned or flagged vessels.
Bloomberg reported on Saturday that Ukraine has agreed to help ensure safe passage for some non-Russian oil tankers, citing a US official.
Türkiye has asked both Ukraine and Russia to declare a “moratorium” on attacks in the Black Sea, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the state-run Anadolu Agency in an interview on Sunday.
“We have several measures regarding this matter that we presented to our president. We are putting them into effect,” he said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry had called for both Russia and Ukraine to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea. The appeal came last Tuesday after reports of two more Turkish vessels being attacked in the Black Sea.
The Turkish-owned RoRo cargo ship Nadezhda (IMO 7702657), carrying fresh fruit and vegetables from Türkiye to Russia, was set on fire and abandoned late on August 3rd when it was about 20nm away from The Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk (IMN August 5th). Turkey’s General Directorate of Maritime Affairs reported that three of the 22 crewmembers were seriously injured, while 11 were taken to a hospital in Russia. Of the 22 aboard there were 13 Turkish nationals, all of whom were evacuated to Russia.
The Turkish authorities said that, due to a fear of additional drone attacks, the vessel had been left drifting. Later, they said the fire was extinguished, and planning was underway for a salvage effort.
Fewer details were reported on the second vessel attacked, container ship Yasar (IMO 9276341), which was also departing Novorossiysk. Built in 2003 and registered in Panama, the 134m x 19.4m containership, was reported on August 7th as Stopped in the Black Sea, near Samsun on Türkiye’s northern coast.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it was “deeply concerned that the war between Russia and Ukraine is spreading further into the Black Sea, also affecting civilian vessels, despite all our warnings. Unless preventive measures are taken, the escalation in the Black Sea will have multifaceted negative repercussions, including for food security. We therefore reiterate our call to all relevant actors, particularly the warring parties, to urgently implement concrete measures to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea”.
Turkish seafarers’ solidarity and rights group Denizciler cited data reporting that 35 ships were struck in July. They said 23 seafarers had been killed and more than 40 injured.
Meanwhile, it was reported that the owner of cargo ship Reyhan Sari (IMO 9543342) which was attacked by a UAV in the Black Sea on July 22nd while it was transporting coal from the Russian port of Taman to Trabzon, was preparing to appeal to the International Criminal Court (ICC) according to unconfirmed claims in some Russian and Turkish media outlets.
The Turkish statement noted that civilian merchant ships were protected by international norms should not be considered as valid military targets. Its authors were reported to be claiming that Ukraine deliberately attacked a Turkish-flagged vessel, purposefully attacking residential premises and trying to kill civilians.
“These attacks have the character of crimes against humanity, and the strikes were carried out using ammunition containing cluster elements and explosives with armour-piercing properties,” the statement said.
The attack killed one crew member and injured two others. The lawsuit was to be filed by T VE O Denizcilik Company, owner of the Reyhan Sari, and by 15 crew members, the reports claimed. The content of the lawsuit was transferred to lawyers who argued that the commercial vessel was protected by international law and could not be considered a military target.
The vessel was damaged after being drone-attacked on July 22nd in the Black Sea near Novorossiysk Port, Russia (IMN July 28th).
Reyhan Sari’s operator T&O Shipping said at the time that a drone hit the vessel and damaged its communications systems, which meant it was difficult to make contact with the crew after the attack.
One of the injured crew members described the incident to Turkish media from the hospital, saying that the vessel Reyhan Sari was attacked twice, damaging the cabin and then the vessel deck.
Despite sustaining damage, the vessel continued sailing and arrived at Samsun under its own power. 2011-built, Türkiye-flagged, 23, 072 gt Reyhan Sari is owned and managed by T Ve O Denizcilik of Istanbul, Türkiye. ISM manager is Kemerkaya Denizcilik of Istanbul, Türkiye. It is entered with London Club on behalf of T ve O Denizcilik Ltd Sirketi.
As of August 11th the 178.3m x 27.85m vessel was moored at Tuzla, Türkiye (arrived August 5th).
2016-built, Greece-flagged, 81,349 gt Aegean Dream is owned by Iliada Maritime Ltd care of Arcadia Shipmanagement of Athens, Greece. It is entered with Gard P&I. As of August 10th the 274m x 48m vessel was underway in the Black Sea en route to Chevron-DST CPC Terminal. It had departed Trieste, Italy on July 28th.
2002-built, Türkiye-flagged, 14,062 gt Mehmet Kahveci A is owned by Arkas Koneyner Tamiscilik AS of Izmir, Türkiye. It is managed by Arkas Denizcilik ve Nakliyat of the same address. It is entered with NorthStandard. As of August 10th it was in the Black Sea en route to Novorossiysk, Russia, ETA August 11th. It departed Alexandria, Egypt on August 5th.
1978-built, Cameroon-flagged, 5,613 gt Nadezhda is owned and managed by Nadezhda RoRo Inc of Samsun, Türkiye.
2003-built, Panama-flagged, 6,434 gt Yasar is owned and managed by Sakarya Shipping Co care of Samsun Shipping Ltd of Samsun, Türkiye.
https://turkey.news-pravda.com/en/world/2026/08/09/98392.html