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Ship flying Turkish flag hampered Russian drilling rig movement in Black Sea

The commander of the Turkish ship did not connect with the convoy vessels using radio exchange and did not respond to calls

SIMFEROPOL, December 14. /TASS/. A ship flying the flag of Turkey headed off from rig mobilization of Chernomorneftegaz to the Russian territorial maritime belt, the company reported on Monday.

"In the path of the convoy of vessels with a hauled object there emerged an unidentified commercial ship flying the Turkish flag. Acting in breach of international regulations of forestalling a collision of ships and agreed standards of maritime traffic, the Turkish vessel did not give way to the cross-running convoy and attempted to stop on its sailing line, creating an intentionally emergency situation. The commander of the Turkish ship did not connect with the convoy vessels using radio exchange and did not respond to calls," Chernomorneftegaz said, refusing to specify the date of the incident.

According to the company, a patrol boat of the Border Guard Service of Russia’s Federal Security Service and a rocket craft of the Black Sea Fleet helped iron out misunderstanding as they "forced the vessel flying the Turkish flag to change the course in the direction safe for the transport convoy."

Two drilling rig systems worth more than 25 bln rubles ($354 mln) were hauled away from the Odessa gas field (located 150 kilometers off the Crimean coast) to the Russian territorial maritime belt "due to complicated international environment and risks of loss of assets vital for Chernomorneftegaz."

Both drilling rug systems are currently in the Russian territorial maritime belt.