Turkey resumed marine traffic in the
Bosporus Strait on Saturday after it was suspended for nearly four hours following the discovery of a
stray naval mine.
A dive team has "
deactivated" an
old naval mine floating in the Bosporus, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying by state news agency Anadolu.
The events came shortly after Russia warned that several sea mines were drifting into the
Black Sea from Ukrainian ports.
Turkey is corresponding with the Ukrainian and Russian sides on the issue, Akar said, adding the navy had been put on alert about the risk.
Earlier on Saturday, the
Turkish Defence Ministry said that a team of divers had found a "
mine-like object" floating north of Istanbul and work was underway to "neutralize" it.
The
object had first been spotted by a trade vessel, the Defence Ministry said on Twitter.
The Bosporus, a key trade channel connecting the
Black Sea and the
Mediterranean, had been closed due to the suspected mine risk between 11:25 am (0825 GMT) and 3:15 pm, an official from the directorate of coastal safety told dpa over the phone.
Several
vessels, including oil tankers and cargo ships, had to remain on hold at both entrances during that time, according to the directorate website.
An average of more than 40,000
ships cross the 33-kilometre strait every year, according to the directorate.
Asked about the possible
risk of mines reaching Turkish waters, President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan this week said necessary measures were being taken.
Earlier this month, Ankara restricted access to the
Bosporus and the
Dardanelles Strait, to the southwest, for
Russian warships in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Under the
1936 Montreux Convention, Turkey has control over the Bosporus and Dardanelles Strait connecting the
Black Sea and the Mediterranean. While trade ships may pass the strait freely in peacetime, battleships face certain restrictions.
