Turkey halts crude oil flows to export terminals on Mediterranean coast after quake

Turkey’s maritime authority has halted crude oil flows to the export terminals on the Mediterranean coast as a precaution following a devastating earthquake. Quoting official sources an agency reported that the country would continue to block the passage of oil tankers that don’t carry appropriate insurance letters, adding that insurance checks on ships in its waters were a “routine procedure”.

Only half a mile wide at its narrowest point, the Turkish Straits Bosphorus and Dardanelles(Turkish Straits) are considered to be the most narrow chokepoints in the world.

It is known as the most dangerous chokepoint because it is a mere 800m wide at its narrowest point with many sharp bends, thus making navigation extremely difficult.