Release date
Istanbul-based shipping company Besiktas Shipping announced on Tuesday it would suspend all operations with Russia, citing unacceptable security risks following an attack on one of its ships.
“After a thorough assessment, we have concluded that the risks posed to our vessels and crews are no longer tenable,” the company said in a statement. “We will cease all such operations as the safety of our employees and assets is our top priority.”
Besiktas Shipping owns the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Mersin, which suffered four external explosions while anchored near the Senegalese capital Dakar on November 27.
The ship sustained severe damage and water flooded the engine room, but all crew members survived. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Mersin has made multiple calls to Russian ports, including Novorossiysk and Taman, since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. According to shipping data, the tanker has called at Russian ports at least 13 times this year.
Besiktas Shipping, one of Turkey’s largest shipping companies with a fleet of 29 tankers, said it remains in full compliance with the international sanctions regime.
Senegal’s Dakar port reported a “technical incident resulting in water intrusion into the engine room” on the night of November 27-28. Authorities sent naval vessels and tugboats to stabilize the situation and prevent a fuel spill.
The attack on Mersin followed separate attacks on two Russian Shadow Fleet tankers in the Black Sea.
Ukraine has admitted that it used an indigenous maritime drone, the Sea Baby, to target the Kairos and Virat ships as they headed to Russia’s Novorossiysk port between November 28 and 29. Ukrainian Security Service officials told media that both ships sustained significant damage.
On December 2, another tanker, the Russian-flagged Midvolga 2, reported being attacked while transporting sunflower oil from Russia to Georgia, about 80 nautical miles off the Turkish coast. All 13 crew members were uninjured and the ship headed to Sinop under its own power.
Ukraine immediately denied any involvement. Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorghi Tikich said Ukraine had nothing to do with the incident and dismissed Russia’s claims as propaganda.
“The alleged route from Russia to Georgia through Turkey’s exclusive economic zone makes no sense and suggests that Russia may have orchestrated the whole thing,” Tiki said.
According to reports, Black Sea shipping costs have increased since the attacks as insurance companies revise rates in relation to war risks.
Ukraine has been defending itself against Moscow’s all-out war for nearly four years and considers Russia’s Shadow Fleet oil tankers and refineries on Russian territory to be legitimate military targets.
