According to international law Turkey shall not be entitled to block the straits. If Turkey uses non-governmental schemes of straits blocking, surplus of the company’s capacities will allow redirecting supplies to Druzhba oil trunk pipelines, Baltic Pipeline System 1 and 2, Ust-Luga Port and Primorsk Port.
Turkey, in accordance with the Montreux Convention, may regulate only passage of military ships through the Black Sea straits. The Montreux Convention preserves freedom of passage through the straits for merchant ships both in peace and war time.
Therefore, in the current situation legal grounds to close the straits for Russian ships are absent. If measures as regards the straits closing are taken, or restrictions (even non-system restrictions) for Russian ships transporting oil and oil products are imposed, Turkey will break the international law, in particular, the Montreux Convention. Moreover, most ships, transporting Russian hydrocarbons, pass the Black Sea straits not with the Russian flag.
At the present time about 60 million tons of oil a year of non-Russian origin and 32-35 million tons of oil a year of Russian origin are transported through the straits. Besides Russian oil, oil of Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, as well as oil produced by western companies in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan is transported through the Black Sea straits.
Possible actions of Turkey as regards the straits blocking will affect the interests of western oil companies and Kazakh exporters, transporting oil through the pipeline system of Caspian Pipeline Consortium, because there are no alternatives now. The Russian party will be able to use the current surplus of Baltic ports and European direction for redistribution of oil flows from the Black Sea region.
27 Ноября 2024 | среда | 23:31
