A Turkish-operated tanker laden with Russian crude oil was struck by a naval drone in the Black Sea early on Thursday, triggering an explosion close to the entrance of the strategic Bosphorus Strait.
The Sierra Leone-flagged vessel Altura sustained damage in the incident, which occurred approximately 18 nautical miles (33 km) from the Strait, just outside Turkish territorial waters, officials said.
Türkiye’s transport and infrastructure minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, confirmed that no seafarer had been harmed in the attack.
“All 27 crew were safe,” he told broadcaster Kanal 24, adding that the coastguard had been dispatched to the vessel.
According to Reuters, Uraloglu said the attack appeared to have targeted the engine room and was carried out by an unmanned marine vehicle.
Ship-tracking and Refinitiv AIS data showed the Altura had departed Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk carrying about one million barrels of crude and was almost fully laden at the time of the strike.
The vessel, operated by a Turkish company, is subject to sanctions by the European Union and Britain and has been linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet for transporting sanctioned oil.
This marks the latest in a series of incidents involving Western-sanctioned vessels operating to or from Russian ports amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, now entering its fifth year.
Turkey’s Defence Ministry said it was continuing to closely monitor risks posed by drones in the Black Sea, where such unmanned systems have been used extensively in the conflict. The ministry highlighted concerns, including drones losing control or drifting towards the Turkish coast.
No details on the extent of damage or any potential pollution risk have been released so far.
