Turkey opposes Ukraine proposal to ship LNG through Bosphorus

The proposal, a long-discussed Ukrainian idea that was raised again during a meeting in Istanbul over the weekend, would involve the construction of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in the Black Sea and would require LNG tankers to pass through sensitive Turkish waterways, including the Bosphorus. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday in a surprise meeting. “We discussed practical steps to implement joint projects in developing gas infrastructure, as well as opportunities for the joint development of gas fields,” Zelensky said after the meeting. A senior Turkish official told MEE that LNG tankers could pose a serious accident risk in the Bosphorus, a narrow and difficult strait, and that any explosion would cause unimaginable damage to human life and the area’s cultural heritage. “We can’t allow that,” the official said. Last year, 40,172 ships passed through the Bosphorus. Ukraine war risks The risks posed by the Ukraine war also shouldn't be underestimated. A Turkish-operated crude oil tanker was hit by an unmanned surface vessel in the Black Sea 15 nautical miles from Istanbul's Bosphorus last month. The official added that allowing such transit through the strait would add traffic to an already congested waterway and could encourage other countries to use the route for their own LNG shipments. “This move could push Romania and Bulgaria to diversify their own gas resources, meaning more ships in the straits,” the official said. “And eventually we might need to consider Russian LNG cargo ships, which could also come into the picture.” The 31-kilometre strait is considered one of the most challenging waterways in the world, narrowing to just 700 metres at its narrowest points and requiring turns of 70 to 80 degrees or more in some sections. 'Eventually we might need to consider Russian LNG cargo ships, which could also come into the picture' - senior Turkish source Instead of allowing LNG transit through the strait, Turkey is proposing an alternative: using existing pipelines from Turkey to Ukraine via Bulgaria and Romania, with gas supplied through Turkey’s FSRU infrastructure in the Aegean. Turkey has signed a series of LNG deals with American companies to meet its own needs and export part of the supply. In December, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told journalists that the interconnection with Bulgaria is a bottleneck for the plan. He said it has a capacity of 3.5 billion cubic metres and would need to be doubled. He added that Ukraine and Turkey had been working on the issue through their national energy companies. In a separate statement on Monday, Zelensky described his meeting with Erdogan as “one of the most positive ever”, saying that Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz had been working with Turkey to implement everything they discussed in Istanbul. “Working together with Turkey gives us energy security and logistical security,” he said. “There’s a solid foundation to take new joint steps.” Before the war, Ukraine met almost all of its gas ​needs through domestic production. But Russian strikes have meant that Ukraine has lost about half its gas output, the central bank governor said late last ​year. The attacks forced Ukraine to boost gas imports and begin storing gas in March for the next winter season. Kyiv has been importing supplies of US LNG from terminals in Poland and the Baltic countries in recent years. Ukraine also imports LNG via Greece. Energy Ankara News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0