Greek fishermen retreat after Turkish submarine surfaces on Aegean

MUĞLA – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

Two Greek fishing boats retreated after a Turkish submarine surfaced in front, as they were about to enter Turkish waters off Turkey’s western Bodrum district.

Two Greek fishing boats approaching the Kardak islets, 4.5 nautical miles from the Turkish coastal town Bodrum, retreated back to the Greek island of Kalymnos on Jan. 22, after the Turkish submarine “Tayfun” (Typhoon) surfaced in front of them, inside Turkish territorial waters.

The Kardak islets - known as Imia in Greek - are a pair of two small, uninhabited rocks in the Aegean Sea situated between the Greek Dodecanese island chain and the southwestern mainland coast of Turkey. Greece and Turkey almost went to war over the islets in 1996.

Tension often rises between Turkish and Greek coast guard boats in the Aegean Sea due to the conflicting claims both countries have over the territorial waters dividing them.

Most recently, a Turkish coast guard boat prevented Greek fishermen from casting their nets inside Turkish territorial waters on Dec. 7, 2014, while a Turkish submarine and a Greek coast guard vessel were engaged in a maritime standoff on Nov. 17, 2014.