Oil tankers are already passing through the Bosphorus

8 out of 24 raw oil tankers have already passed through the Bosphorus, providing Turkey with proof of valid P&I insurance.

The Directorate General of Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Turkey posted on social media a statement on the passage of crude oil vessels through the Turkish Straits by presenting a letter of confirmation.

The statement indicates that tankers that have passed the necessary procedures were allowed to pass, Anadolu writes.

“After December 1, 8 out of 24 raw oil tankers that wanted to cross the Turkish Straits from the Black Sea side completed their passage through the Bosphorus. Currently, 4 more crude oil tankers are included in the plan of passage through the Istanbul Strait. They provided a corresponding confirmation letter,” the administration said in a statement.

The remaining 12 crude oil tankers have not yet provided the relevant confirmation letter and are still waiting. The total amount of oil on board is 1.8 million tons.

“9 out of 12 crude oil tankers that have not provided a proper letter of confirmation are heading to EU ports. 8 of these vessels belong to Greece, 3 to Hong Kong. P&L insurance for these vessels is provided by British companies that are part of the International P&I Group. 5 out of 8 tankers that do not have a letter of confirmation have been expelled from Turkish territorial waters. 4 tankers, after providing the appropriate documents, left for the Aegean Sea,” the department added.