Second Tanker Hit in Weeks as Black Sea Drone Strikes Russian Oil Cargo

A tanker carrying Russian oil was hit on Thursday by an unmanned marine vehicle in the Black Sea near Istanbul, Turkish authorities said.

The Altura crude oil tanker, which is sanctioned by the EU and the UK, was hit by what Turkey believes is an unmanned vehicle, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said.

The tanker, flying the flag of Sierra Leone and operated by a Turkish firm, had loaded crude oil from the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, tanker-tracking data on MarineTraffic shows.

The Altura was fully laden with about 1 million barrels of Russia’s flagship crude Urals, according to tanker-tracking data.

“We believe it was not a drone attack, but an unmanned underwater vehicle,” Uraloglu told Turkish media on Thursday.

“It was an externally caused explosion, a deliberate attack specifically aimed at disabling the ship’s engine room,” the minister said, adding that all 27 Turkish crew members aboard the tanker were unharmed.

Turkish private broadcaster NTV reported earlier on Thursday that the tanker was hit by a drone some 15 nautical miles, or 17 miles, from the Bosporus Strait.

“Whether it was at the water level or below will be determined in the coming hours,” Uraloglu said.

The tanker suffered engine damage following a blast early on Thursday that severely shook the ship bridge and disabled part of the equipment, Turkey’s Directorate General for Maritime Affairs told Bloomberg.

Turkey has warned several times in recent months against escalating attacks on tankers carrying Russian oil near or in its waters.

Earlier this month, a Greek-operated oil tanker was damaged by a drone or projectile attack in the Black Sea while en route to Russia.

But back then, the vessel was hit some 14 nautical miles (or 16 miles) off the port of Novorossiysk, with no injuries or oil spill resulting from the strike.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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