By Ali Kucukgocmen
ISTANBUL, Sept 2 (Reuters) – Tankers and cargo ships are transiting the Bosphorus strait adorned with nets, water tanks and tyres to try to fend off growing Russian and Ukrainian drone strikes in the Black Sea, according to security experts and video obtained by Reuters.
In a stark illustration of the risks, the abandoned Russian-flagged cargo ship Omskiy-107 – its command deck burned out – drifted from Russian waters to a northern Istanbul beach east of the Bosphorus, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on ships and infrastructure facilitating Russian oil and grain exports since July, when Russia intensified its missile and drone strikes on the main Ukrainian grain export hubs of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi.
The Caruzo, a Sierra Leone-flagged crude oil tanker, transited the strait on August 11 with water tanks dangling around its stern, apparently in an effort to cushion any attack and prevent damage to the engine room. Khrizopraz, a Russian-flagged crude oil tanker, had tyres hanging over the hull when it passed on August 27.
MEASURES CAN WORK IN SOME CASES BUT NOT ALL, EXPERT SAYS
The scale of attacks from Russia and Ukraine on commercial ships and port infrastructure has increased sharply and may rise further, said Corey Ranslem, chief executive of maritime security group Dryad Global.
“There’s a couple of popular countermeasures that we’ve seen onboard vessels that are transiting in Black Sea operations,” he said, mentioning water-filled containers and another method involving nets.
The latter, increasingly common method of protection is known as ‘cope cages’ – netting to protect the ship’s superstructure from explosive drones. Two crude oil tankers, Brisk and Integrator, both had such protection last month when they passed through the Bosphorus.
“These tools can be effective for some of the smaller types of drones but when you look at the bigger military types of drones these tools may not be as effective, or in some cases, effective at all,” Ranslem said.
Other maritime specialists also questioned whether such measures could stop rapid remote-controlled naval drones or airborne attack craft with large explosive payloads from causing damage.
MOSCOW REJECTS MOVES TO RESTORE BLACK SEA GRAIN EXPORTS
Several ships, including the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Great Ocean, arrived heavily damaged at the Bosphorus escorted by coast guard boats in recent weeks.
Turkey, whose own commercial ships have been repeatedly targeted by drones in the Black Sea, summoned Ukraine’s ambassador to Ankara over the weekend after attacks on two vessels near the Russian port of Tuapse. There was no comment from Ukraine.
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that the Black Sea attacks had renewed global grain shortages, particularly in Africa, and called for an urgent solution.
On Monday, his foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said Ankara has prepared a plan to restore the safe passage of grain via the Black Sea and is discussing it with both Russia and Ukraine.
However, Russia said on Wednesday it sees no grounds for the Black Sea grain deal to resume.
Turkey helped mediate a deal in July 2022 to allow the safe export of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, but Russia withdrew in 2023, complaining of obstacles to its food and fertiliser exports.
Ranslem said the deal had restored some navigation in the Black Sea at the time but the situation was now more volatile and resolving it would require broader moves towards peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday Russia was winning the war begun with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, despite fuel shortages stemming from Ukrainian drone attacks and high casualties on a largely static front line.
(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Daren Butler, Jonathan Saul and Philippa Fletcher)
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