ISTANBUL, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Tanker traffic though Turkey's Bosphorus Strait, a key shipping channel for Russian oil, was suspended on Saturday after heavy fog reduced visibility, shipping agent GAC said.
The Istanbul channel was closed to both directions of traffic at 8:05 a.m. (0605 GMT), GAC said in an e-mail statement. It was not clear when the strait will re-open.
Four tankers were scheduled to transit the Bosphorus on Saturday, the agent said.
Weather conditions were clear at the Dardenelles Strait at the other end of the Sea of Marmara and the channel remained open, it said.
The Bosphorus and Dardenelles are the only maritime outlet for Black Sea countries shipping oil, grains and other commodities to world markets.
Traffic disruptions are common in winter in the straits as poor weather makes it difficult for tanker captains to traverse the narrow, environmentally sensitive waterways. The delays can raise Black Sea crude grades and world tanker rates.
(Reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley, editing by Andrew Marshall) Keywords: TURKEY SHIPPING/ (ayla.yackley@reuters.com; +90 212 350 7053; Reuters Messaging: ayla.yackley.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
The Istanbul channel was closed to both directions of traffic at 8:05 a.m. (0605 GMT), GAC said in an e-mail statement. It was not clear when the strait will re-open.
Four tankers were scheduled to transit the Bosphorus on Saturday, the agent said.
Weather conditions were clear at the Dardenelles Strait at the other end of the Sea of Marmara and the channel remained open, it said.
The Bosphorus and Dardenelles are the only maritime outlet for Black Sea countries shipping oil, grains and other commodities to world markets.
Traffic disruptions are common in winter in the straits as poor weather makes it difficult for tanker captains to traverse the narrow, environmentally sensitive waterways. The delays can raise Black Sea crude grades and world tanker rates.
(Reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley, editing by Andrew Marshall) Keywords: TURKEY SHIPPING/ (ayla.yackley@reuters.com; +90 212 350 7053; Reuters Messaging: ayla.yackley.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
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