Turkish Oil Station Announces Cessation of Russian Imports

Dörtyol station, a medium-sized Turkish oil facility on the Mediterranean Sea, has announced that it will no longer accept Russian imports after receiving record amounts last year, amidst threats from the United States to impose sanctions. Global Terminal Services (GTS), which manages the station in the Hatay province of southeastern Turkey, stated that it has informed its clients that it will not accept any products from Russia. GTS told Reuters, "The company has decided to cut all possible connections to Russian oil and has accordingly notified its clients in late February 2024 that even if there are no violations of any laws or regulations or sanctions, it will not accept any product of Russian origin or any products loaded from Russian ports as an additional measure to the existing sanctions rules." GTS noted that it will continue to accept Russian shipments that had their mode of transport determined before the ban came into effect in late February. Data from shipping analytics firm Kpler revealed that GTS, which imports, exports, and stores fuel and crude oil, received 11.74 million barrels of Russian crude oil and fuel last year. Turkey has become one of the largest importers of Russian crude and fuel since 2022, following Western sanctions on Moscow due to its invasion of Ukraine. In response, Russia redirected oil away from Europe and the United States towards Asia, Turkey, and Africa. The threat from the United States to impose sanctions on financial companies dealing with Russia has led to a freeze in Turkish-Russian trade, affecting or slowing down some payments for both imported oil and Turkish exports. Ankara opposes Western sanctions on Moscow, despite criticizing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has managed to maintain close relations with both Moscow and Kyiv throughout the ongoing conflict for the past two years.