ISTANBUL: Turkiye’s transport ministry said one of two empty oil tankers hit by blasts in the Black Sea late Friday had been struck again early on Saturday, blaming an unmanned sea vehicle.
“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,” the 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.
On Friday evening, Turkiye’s transport ministry said two empty oil tankers, the Virat and the Kairos, had reported explosions but sustained no casualties, suggesting they had been struck but without saying what had caused the blasts.
The ministry’s post was the first official confirmation that the Virat was attacked by drones.
The Kairos incident took place around 1500 GMT, with rescuers evacuating its 25 crew members after a fire broke out. At the time, it was about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the point where the Bosphorus Strait enters the Black Sea, officials said.
The Virat was struck later; at the time, it was about 400 kilometers further east, according to the VesselFinder tracking site.
Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said both vessels had been hit by “explosions,” telling Turkiye’s private NTV television they tankers might have been hit a mine, or been struck by a rocket or a drone.
“An external impact means the vessel was hit by a mine, a rocket, or a similar projectile, or perhaps by a drone, or by an unmanned underwater vehicle. These are the first things that come to mind,” he said.
Gambian-flagged, under sanctions
In a post on X, the maritime affairs directorate said the Kairos was “en route to Russia’s Novorossiysk” when it reported an “external impact causing a fire 28 nautical miles off” the Turkish coast.
Novorossiysk is a key Russian port city on the northeastern shores of the Black Sea near the entrance to the Sea of Azov.
It posted dramatic images of flames and thick black smoke pouring out of the vessel, with the blaze still raging some five hours later.
The directorate later said the Virat had reported “being hit approximately 35 nautical miles offshore,” saying that all 20 crew were unharmed but there was “heavy smoke detected in the engine room,” saying those on board had not requested evacuation.
Both tankers – which are flying a Gambian flag, according to the VesselFinder website – are subject to Western sanctions for transporting oil from Russian ports in defiance of an embargo imposed after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both sides have planted sea mines to protect their coastlines. Many have since been located and destroyed in the Black Sea, but others have drifted, notably due to storms, endangering shipping.
In response, NATO members Turkiye, Bulgaria, and Romania – all of whom border the Black Sea – set up the Mine Countermeasures Naval Group (MCM Black Sea) in 2024 to oversee de-mining operations.
