- A Turkish oil terminal decided to halt Russian imports amid pressure from US sanctions, Reuters reported.
- The Dortyol terminal, operated by Global Terminal Services, decided to "cut all possible connections to Russian oil."
A Turkish oil terminal has ceased business with Russia amid broadening US sanctions.
The Dortyol terminal — operated by Global Terminal Services (GTS) — announced that it will not be accepting any more Russian products, Reuters reported on Wednesday. GTS said it decided to "cut all possible connections to Russian oil."
Turkey is one of the countries that began buying cheap Russian crude after Western sanctions went into effect following the invasion of Ukraine. The GTS terminal in particular purchased 11.74 million barrels of Russian crude in 2023, Reuters reported citing Kpler data.
Last year's crude and fuel imports from Russia alone marked a sevenfold increase from the total amount the terminal imported in the year before the Ukraine war began.
But broadening US sanctions on Russia pushed GTS to step back.
On February 23, the anniversary of Russia's invasion and following opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's death, the US announced an additional 500 sanctions on the Kremlin, many of which were targeted against individuals and companies connected to Russia's financial and defense sectors. It was the largest sanctions package passed by the Biden administration to date.
According to GTS, it has been in full compliance with US sanctions including the G7's price cap. The current decision is just an "additional measure," they told Reuters.
The terminal will still accept Russian cargoes nominated before GTS implemented the ban in late-February.