From December 1, Turkey plans to close the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles for ships carrying oil if they do not have insurance.
Bloomberg reports it.
The new rule will come into force a few days before the start of European sanctions against Russian oil.
After the sanctions are introduced, Russian oil producers will lose the opportunity to insure themselves if they transport oil beyond a certain limit. A Turkish official working in the maritime control system confirmed that the new rules for crossing the Bosphorus were related to sanctions against Russia, although Turkey has not officially joined them.
According to the official, the innovation will affect tankers carrying Russian raw materials if they do not receive insurance guarantees for damage in the event of an extreme event, such as an oil spill. He stressed that the decision is linked to the need to guarantee the security of the strait.
He noted that all Russian oil exports from Novorossiysk, some 650,000 barrels a day, could be at risk.
We wrote earlier that Turkey started partially pay for Russian gas in rubles. In the coming months, the share of payments in rubles will increase.
On October 12, Putin mentioned this for the first time Russia could establish a major gas hub in Turkeydiverting supplies intended for Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea, damaged by last month’s explosions.
ON the bilateral meeting in Kazakhstan today the Russian leader added that Turkey receives full supplies of gas without problems and so on Ankara has proven to be Moscow’s most reliable partner, when it comes to energy transit.
