Turkish authorities cite the formal reason for the detention as the lack of completed documents, minor technical defects and violations of safety regulations.Since the beginning of the deterioration of relations between Moscow and Ankara, a total of 27 Russian merchant vessels have been detained in Turkey. These actions were in response to the detention of eight merchant ships in the Black Sea, as reported on December 16th by the Hürriyet. According to the newspaper, Turkish authorities indicated a lack of proper documentation as the rationale for detaining the vessels. Turkish vessels began to be detained in Russia on November 24, after Turkey downed a Russian SU-24 jet.News outlet, Gazeta.ru, reports that as of December 16th, there are two Russian vessels that cannot leave Turkish ports: the Peter Sahaidachny and the York. According to Gazeta.ru the Turkish authorities found several safety violations, namely, a lack of lifeboats, issues with firefighting systems and minor defects in the vessels’ equipment. These violations led to the detainment of the vessels, which in most cases last for two or three days.According to RIA News, The Russian Embassy in Ankara and the Consulate General in Istanbul andTrabzon did not confirm these detentions, as requests from ship owners and crews have not been reported to the diplomatic institutions.Inspections of vessels in Turkey are provided by the port control service. Adding these violations to the database required by the Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding could result in these ships being banned from working in EU waters, reminds Gazeta.ru

  Russia, turkey

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