Two tankers, both sailing under the flag of Gambia but reportedly on the EU sanctions list for carrying Russian oil in the past and thus have been deemed part of Russia’s alleged “shadow fleet,” were hit by explosions yesterday near Turkish waters on the Black Sea. The 274-meter tanker Kairos suffered an explosion and caught fire while en route from Egypt to Russia, Türkiye’s Transport Ministry said, reported Reuters. Kairos was heading to Russia’s Novorossiysk port when it reported “an external impact” causing a fire 28 nautical miles off the Turkish shore, Türkiye’s Maritime Affairs Directorate said.
The directorate said another tanker, Virat was reportedly struck some 35 nautical miles offshore, further east in the Black Sea, and rescue units and a commercial vessel were sent to the scene.
As for who might be behind the explosions, a source in Ukraine’s SBU security service told AFP that the attacks were carried out using Ukrainian-developed Sea Baby marine drones. It shared a video that purported to show sea drones gliding towards the two ships, before sparking explosions.
“The Virat, which was previously said to have been attacked by unmanned maritime vehicles approximately 35 nautical miles off the Black Sea coastline, was attacked again by unmanned maritime vehicles early this morning,” Türkiye’s Transport Ministry said on X. It said the tanker sustained only “minor damage” on the starboard side and that none of the 20-strong crew were hurt.
