Report: Turkey Bars Ships with Ties to Israel and Suspends All Trade
The Turkish government has reportedly taken steps to suspend trade with Israel and stop the movement of ships between the two countries, as well as possibly international shipping with an Israeli connection. The full extent of the moves is unclear pending official government statements, but it comes after the Houthis made it clear they were tracking shipping between the countries.
Officially, Turkey said it had suspended trade with Israel more than a year ago in May 2024, but both reports from Bloomberg and Reuters have tracked ongoing trade. Turkish ships have also been used to transport aid to the residents of Gaza (one is currently holding off the coast of Israel), and international shipping has made port calls between the two countries.
The Trade Ministry of Turkey told Reuters today, August 21, that it was moving to restrict exports on a wide range of products until a ceasefire is declared in Gaza. This is said to include building materials such as iron, marble, steel, cement, aluminum, and bricks, as well as fertilizer and construction equipment. Turkey has been a leading supplier of construction materials to Israel, with the Bank of Israel reporting more than $5.3 billion in exports from Turkey to Israel in 2023 before the prior embargo. Even after the 2024 move, unofficial numbers show $100 to $200 million a month in Turkish goods arriving in Israel, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Globes.
Other reports today have indicated that the Turkish government is also quietly imposing restrictions on all shipping to Israel. Turkish media and Reuters were reporting without an official announcement, Turkey is beginning to impose a ban on any direct ship traffic between the two countries. The report said the instructions were being delivered verbally by the port authorities to agents and other representatives of the shipping companies.
Ships registered in Turkey are reportedly being told they can no longer call in Israeli ports. Israeli shipping companies are told their vessels are barred from Turkey’s ports.
Globes and Reuters, however, are suggesting the ban is more comprehensive. Their reports cite unnamed sources that say Turkish authorities are also asking for statements confirming ships are not linked to Israel or engaged in operations linked to Israel. They are also saying that transportation of military or hazardous cargoes to Israel is banned. It is believed the effort will also forbid the handling of any cargo or transshipment of cargo through Turkey to Israel.
At the beginning of August, the Houthi militants in Yemen increased their threats against ships and shipping companies calling in Israeli ports. As part of it, they cited the tracks of ships sailing between Israeli ports and Turkey as well as Egypt, warning that it was a violation of the group’s “embargo” on Israeli ports.
Turkey’s new move comes after repeated protests in multiple countries, primarily in the Mediterranean region, over the handling of cargo to Israel. Multiple ships have been targeted with accusations that they were carrying military equipment and materials to support the Israeli war effort. Shipping companies with U.S. government contracts to transport materials have also been accused of aiding the war effort.
The protests have also grown to include an Israeli-owned cruise ship carrying tourists to ports in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Mano Cruises Crown Iris was forced to skip ports and has also reported delays as protestors vented their anger over the war during the ship’s port visits.