Bosphorus blocked again: Tanker Cordelia Moon breaks down on route to Russia

The Bosporus Strait was temporarily closed to vessel traffic in both directions on Thursday, 26 December, due to a malfunction of the Cordelia Moon, a tanker en route to Russia. 

This incident was reported by Turkish media, citing a statement from the Turkish Ministry of Transport, per Caliber.Az.

According to the ministry, the malfunction occurred while the Cordelia Moon was travelling from the port of Yalova in Türkiye to Russia. The vessel experienced a technical failure near the Yeniköy neighbourhood, causing a temporary suspension of all maritime traffic in the Bosphorus. The statement emphasized that the disruption affected both northbound and southbound traffic along the strait.

The Cordelia Moon, a 274-meter-long tanker flying the flag of Panama, was heading to Novorossiysk, a port city on the Black Sea in Russia. MarineTraffic, a global shipping tracking portal, confirmed the vessel's route at the time of the incident.

This breakdown comes on the heels of several similar incidents in recent months that have led to disruptions in the Bosphorus. On November 18, the Nazan, an oil tanker also registered under the Panama flag, caused a temporary closure of the Bosphorus when its rudder malfunctioned near the Kandilli coast while travelling from Russia to Türkiye’s Kocaeli port.

In October, another breakdown temporarily halted Bosphorus traffic when a 106-meter-long dry cargo ship suffered equipment failure while en route from Israel to Bulgaria.

Additionally, in August, the Sredina, a tanker travelling from Russia to Libya, broke down in the Bosphorus due to an engine malfunction. The 171-meter vessel, also flagged by Panama, caused a brief closure of the strait in both directions.

These repeated incidents underscore the vulnerability of the Bosphorus Strait to maritime disruptions, affecting both global shipping and regional trade.

By Tamilla Hasanova