A third floating naval mine was found in the Black Sea, Turkey's Ministry of National Defense announced Wednesday, adding that military diving teams were working on defusing it.
The ministry said in a statement that elite Underwater Defense (SAS) teams were dispatched to the area where the mine was found off the coast of Kefken, a small town in the district of Izmit, by a Liberian-flagged cargo ship.
The statement also said a security perimeter was established in the area.
Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of laying mines in the Black Sea, and in late March, Turkish and Romanian military diving teams defused stray mines around their waters.
Maritime officials say the risk of coming across floating mines in the major Black Sea shipping route is adding to perils for merchant ships sailing in the region, and governments must ensure safe passage to keep supply chains running.
The Black Sea is bordered by Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia and Turkey, as well as Ukraine and Russia, which have been at war since President Vladimir Putin's troops invaded the country's southern neighbor.
The Turkish Naval Forces Command had ramped up on Sunday precautionary efforts to find and defuse any stray sea mines amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Bosporus, a key trade channel for shipping grain, oil and oil products connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, was briefly closed due to the suspected mine risk last Saturday.
Several vessels, including oil tankers and cargo ships, had to remain on hold at both entrances during that time, according to the Directorate of Coastal Safety. An average of more than 40,000 ships cross the 33-kilometer (21-mile) strait every year, according to the directorate.
Meanwhile, the agriculture minister said that "all kinds of fishing activities" had been banned at night in Turkish waters in the southwest of the Black Sea, citing security reasons.
Turkey shares the Black Sea borders with Russia and Ukraine, which Moscow invaded last month.
Russia's main intelligence agency said on Monday that several mines had drifted out to sea after breaking off from cables near Ukrainian ports, a claim dismissed by Kyiv as disinformation and an attempt to close off parts of the sea.
The Black Sea is a major shipping artery for grain, oil and oil products. It is connected to the Marmara and then the Mediterranean Sea via the Bosporus, which runs through the heart of Istanbul – Turkey's largest city with 16 million residents – and then the Dardanelles further southwest.
Asked about the possible risk of mines reaching Turkish waters, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan this week said necessary measures were being taken.
Earlier this month, Ankara restricted access to the straits for all warships apart from those registered to Black Sea ports in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, Turkey has control over the Turkish Straits connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. While trade ships may pass the strait freely in peacetime, battleships face certain restrictions.
