The plan will lead to more tankers moving through Turkey's Bosporus strait, threatening safety..
The European Union and Turkey are upset: Ukraine and TNK-BP are going to ship Russian oil through the Black Sea. EU and Turkey are afraid that it will increase tanker traffic in the Bosporus, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
TNK-BP, British-Russian venture, plans seeks to ship as much as 9 million tons per year (180,000 barrels per day) of crude through the pipeline to Odessa during the next few years, Ukranian state oil company Ukrtransnafta reported last week.
The plan will lead to more tankers moving through Turkey's Bosporus strait, threatening safety, because the strait is one of the world's busiest waterways, Turkish Foreign Minister told reporters in Ankara Thursday.
"We will relay our concerns to Ukraine, a friendly country, in the most suitable manner," Gul said in televised comments. "We hope they will reconsider their plans."
TNK-BP has said it may begin shipping as early as the fourth quarter after signing an agreement with Ukrtransnafta.
