One of the Turkish terminals in the Mediterranean – in the port city of Dоrtyol, Hatay Province, near Syria, will stop receiving supplies of Russian oil. Last year, a record amount of Russian oil passed through it – 11.74 million barrels, according to data from the analyst company Kpler, but now the threat of secondary sanctions from the US is beginning to weigh.
The terminal operator has noted in response to the agency that it will not accept goods of Russian origin or coming from Russian ports, even if they do not violate sanctions and regulations. In this way, any threats of negative effects from actions over which the company has no control will be eliminated.
Until now, the terminal has been working in full compliance with G-7 measures, the operator of the facility also stated.
Turkey officially does not support Western sanctions against Russia and has become one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil after EU countries imposed an import embargo at the end of 2022. In recent weeks, since Bulgaria stopped buying the raw material, Turkey has remained the only European country that receives Russian oil through sea terminals.
Russia’s biggest markets are India and China. However, India is also reducing purchases – in the last days of February, there were 14 tankers loaded with the “Sokol” variety, which New Delhi refused to accept and were waiting for new buyers.
The US Treasury introduced sanctions at the end of 2023 for companies that do business with Russian companies on sanctions lists. This greatly complicated and delayed payments and, in general, Russia’s trade relations with the rest of the world. Even Chinese banks have begun refusing to make transfers to avoid falling under the purview of the US Treasury Department.
