A British Treasury official said that officials from Western countries are in talks with their Turkish counterparts to find a solution to the queues for oil tankers off Turkey, after the Group of Seven and the European Union imposed new restrictions targeting Russian oil exports on the fifth of December.
“The United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union are working closely with the Turkish government, shipping and insurance sectors to remove ambiguity over the implementation of the oil price ceiling and find a solution,” the official told Reuters.
“There is no reason to prevent ships from reaching the Bosphorus for environmental or health and safety issues,” he added.
US officials did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
There are still at least 20 oil tankers lined up off Turkey, and they face further delays in crossing from Russia’s Black Sea ports to the Mediterranean, as operators race to comply with new insurance regulations approved by Turkey earlier this month.
Western insurers say the requirements exceed what was previously required to cross the region, and an official with the G7-Australian alliance said the delays were not caused by a Russian oil price cap imposed by the G7 to cut Moscow of revenue amid the war.
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