Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu stated that there are 22 ships waiting on the shores of Ukraine in the Black Sea, “Most of them are Turkish-owned. Turkish bayraklı there are some in it. "We need to get those ships from there," he said.
Reminding that Turkish ships loaded with sunflower oil waiting in the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait, which are controlled by Russia, returned weeks ago, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Karaismailoğlu said:
“Currently, we have 22 ships waiting especially on the Black Sea coasts of Ukraine. Most of them are Turkish owned. Turkish bayraklı there are some in it. We even consulted with the Ambassador of Ukraine today. We need to get those ships from there. Initially there were over 200 crew members, we evacuated some of them. Now there are 90 crew, but they have not requested evacuation, they do not want to leave the ship. There are loads of grain, sunflower oil, iron on the ships. Almost 50 days. Ship owners are also anxious, waiting for good news. We are also on the alert. We are in constant contact with the seafarers working from our Search and Rescue Center. Our talks with both Russia and Ukraine continue. There are ships from other countries besides Turkey. There are about 100 ships in the region. These must be rescued as soon as possible, but the war must end. Besides, there are cargoes waiting for export at the port, especially on the Ukrainian side. On the other hand, there are loads waiting to go to Ukraine at our ports. The war environment turns everything upside down.”
Karaismailoğlu stated that a little bit of activity started in the Russian ports and they could not see this movement on the Ukrainian side, and that the trade in the Black Sea was also affected by the war, and there was some activity unlike the first days. Noting that there are Turkish-owned ships operating in Russian ports, especially in the Ro-Ro field, Karaismailoğlu stated that there was uneasiness due to the war environment.
Pointing out that the aviation industry was also severely affected by the war, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Karaismailoğlu stated that there is no aviation transportation with Ukraine due to the closed airspace. Karaismailoğlu stated that the war environment made the transportation sector uneasy, like all sectors, and wished that the war would end as soon as possible.
Expressing that it is not possible to transport cargoes transported by sea by land, Karaismailoğlu said, “A large ship carries the load of almost 5 thousand trucks. Therefore, the commercial activity that was not in the sea was reflected on the land as well. When the demand there was high, the accumulation started. We are in constant contact with the Georgian side, even our friends are going to Georgia, we are trying to meet with them and speed up the traffic,” he said. Emphasizing that there was a density at the border gates due to the increase in exports, an extra burden was incurred due to the disruption of maritime trade, and that they followed all of them, Karaismailoğlu noted that over a thousand trucks were waiting. Pointing out that the two sides talk differently about the mines in the Black Sea, Karaismailoğlu said, “It is not possible for the mines to reach Istanbul in such a short time. The release of mines in Ukraine also seems strange to us. That's why minesweepers are constantly circulating. This also raises a concern. Those sides seem to be risky areas. This is the factor that affects the trade there. There are some uncertainties due to the war environment. With the end of the war, these will disappear in a short time,” he said.
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