Turkish Tanker Owner Halts All Russia-Linked Shipping After Senegal Explosions

Besiktas Shipping, a major Turkish tanker operator, announced it is ending all shipping activities connected to Russia after one of its vessels was damaged by a series of unexplained explosions off the coast of Senegal last week, Reuters reported on December 2.

The tanker Mersin was anchored near Dakar on November 27 when four external blasts struck the vessel, causing seawater to flood the engine room. The source of the explosions remains unknown.

In a statement, Besiktas Shipping said it was suspending all Russia-related voyages effective immediately.

“Throughout our operations, we have strictly adhered to all international sanctions regimes, maintaining full compliance with the G7/EU price cap mechanism and all relevant trade restrictions,” the company said.

“However, the security situation in the region has escalated considerably. After a thorough assessment, we have concluded that the risks posed to our vessels and crew have become untenable,” the statement added. “As the safety of our personnel and assets is our highest priority, we are halting all such operations.”

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War in Ukraine

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The incident occurred one day before Ukrainian naval drones struck two sanctioned tankers in the Black Sea near Turkey’s coast as they were en route to a Russian port to load oil, according to a Ukrainian official. A separate Russian-flagged tanker carrying sunflower oil also reported coming under drone attack off Turkey on Tuesday.

Ukraine has denied involvement in the most recent attack, though a Turkish official said “necessary messages” were communicated to all relevant parties, including Ukrainian authorities.

Istanbul-based Besiktas Shipping is one of Turkey’s largest tanker operators, with a fleet of 29 vessels, according to its website.

Earlier, it was reported that India’s state-owned refiners have resumed buying discounted Russian crude oil after months of caution.

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