Bosphorus closed for several hours due to sea mine

A floating sea mine of the old type could be “deactivated”, as the Turkish Defense Minister announced. Where the mine came from is unclear.

(dpa) Turkish authorities suspended shipping on the Bosphorus for several hours on Saturday after discovering a floating sea mine. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying by the Anadolu State Agency that a team of divers had “deactivated” an old-style sea mine floating in the Bosphorus. According to Turkish authorities, traffic on the Bosphorus resumed after around four hours.

Last week Moscow warned of drifting sea mines in the Black Sea. There was initially no information as to whether there was a connection in this case. Akar was also quoted as saying that Turkey is in contact with the Ukrainian and Russian sides on the matter.

The Turkish Defense Ministry initially stated that a “mine-like object” floating in the water had been discovered north of Istanbul. Ships had been asked to stop at both entrances to the strait, an official from the Directorate for Coastal Safety told the German Press Agency on the phone.

Drifting mine warning

The Russian domestic secret service FSB had warned that the Ukrainian navy had mined the ports of Odessa, Ochakiv, Chornomorsk and Pivdenne. Some of the anchored sea mines would have torn loose in the storm. In the worst case, they could drift through the Turkish straits into the Mediterranean. The Ukrainian portal BlackSeaNews, which specializes in shipping, reported that the Russian Black Sea Fleet laid the sea mines on the route between Odessa and the Bosphorus. There was no independent confirmation of this.

Since the Russian attack on February 24, shipping in the north-western part of the Black Sea has been forced to stand still. There is little traffic off the coasts of EU and NATO members Romania and Bulgaria.

The Bosphorus is an important thoroughfare for merchant ships, connecting the Mediterranean and Black Seas. According to Turkish authorities, an average of more than 40,000 ships pass through it every year.

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