Turkey proposes to use pilot boats in the Black Sea

Turkey proposes to deploy pilot boats on certain routes in the Black Sea to ensure the safety of the merchant fleet.

This proposal was made by the Turkish Association of Sea Vessel Captains, writes BlackSeaNews.

“Very sensitive radars are installed on commercial ships sailing in the Black Sea. These radars can detect even the smallest objects in the sea. In such cases, the ship immediately changes course. One of my proposals is to deploy pilot boats on certain routes,” the Hürriyet newspaper quotes the president of the association, Zafer Akbulut, as saying.

The movement of ships through the Bosphorus was stopped on March 26 – after an object that looked like a mine was discovered by fishermen. Later, the Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed that the object turned out to be a mine, which was successfully neutralized.