The Turkish Navy Forces and its mine-hunting vessels are on alert against stray naval mines potentially floating towards Turkish coasts and straits from the Black Sea, the defense minister has said, informing about an ongoing inquiry about the source of a mine that was defused over the weekend that reached the Bosphorus.
“There is inconsistent information about it [the stray mine]. We have been informed about stray naval mines in the region. Our friends are on alert. Everybody is on duty, including our mine-hunting vessels,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told private broadcaster CNN Türk on March 27 in an interview.
Akar’s statement followed after Turkish navy forces defused a stray naval mine floating in the Bosporus on March 26. There was no detailed information from where the mine came from, but experts suggested that it was an old version Russian naval mine.
“It’s been found out that it is an old mine; our investigation is ongoing. We have no clarity yet about to whom it belongs,” Akar stated.
Turkey temporarily suspended the marine traffic in the Bosphorus on Saturday, but it was later resumed after the mine was defused. “There is no negative situation in the Bosporus now,” Akar stated.
hurriyetdailynews.com