The increase in drone attacks against civilian vessels and security risks in the Black Sea basin has created serious difficulties in Turkey’s shipping and export sector. The current situation is forcing Turkish exporters to turn to alternative land and maritime supply corridors, including Azerbaijan.
According to information provided by sea-news.az citing the Milliyet newspaper, threats directed at civilian shipping have sharply increased the costs of maritime transportation. Shipping companies carrying cargo between Turkish ports and Russia’s Novorossiysk port have begun applying a “War Risk Surcharge” (WRS).
Additional shipping costs in the Black Sea have risen to $1,000 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU), which is 2 to 3 times more expensive than standard tariffs. Due to the resulting high prices and security risks, logistics companies are redirecting cargo to multimodal land routes passing through Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran.
While some carriers have shifted their maritime routes toward Southeast Asian countries, a number of companies have temporarily halted export operations entirely due to high costs. It is noted that targeted drone attacks against various Turkish-owned civilian cargo ships have been recorded in Black Sea waters in recent weeks.
