Not So Dire Straits

As the days get shorter, one market that becomes of particular interest is the Black Sea. Overall traffic, restricted transit to daylight hours and weather can add to congestion and complicate trading and transit of the Turkish Straits. For example, on Monday of this week, the Bosphorus was closed due to heavy current. The chart below shows the northbound and southbound delays through the Turkish Straits, both the Bosphorus and the Dardenelles. The data shows that the delays are significant during the last months of the year and through the first quarter. With the winter season just around the corner, shippers and charters should be prepared to get in the queue.