Watch: Will The Black Sea Turn Into A Tanker War?
In this episode, of What’s Going On In Shipping, maritime historian Sal Mercogliano discusses how the conflict in the Black Sea between Ukraine and Russia may further escalate to start...
Russian Navy's landing ship Saratov is escorted by a Turkish Navy Coast Guard boat as it sets sail in Bosphorus, on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey March 7, 2021. REUTERS/Murad Sezer
In the last hour several media outlets worldwide began reporting that Turkey closed the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits to Russian ships, but, Reuters is now reporting that the rumor – traced to a Turkish official with knowledge of the matter – is false.
Despite the rumor being false the situation could change. Turkey is a member of NATO and, in a recent tweet, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did thank President Tayyip Erdogan for Turkey’s humanitarian and military support, saying a “ban on the passage of (Russian) warships to the Black Sea” was very important for his country.
(Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Catherine Evans)
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