Turkey-operated tanker carrying Russian oil struck by naval drone in Black Sea
France 24 • • world
Key Points:
- A Turkish-operated crude oil tanker, the Altura, struck by a water-borne drone or unmanned surface vehicle, experienced an explosion in its engine room near the Bosphorus Strait in the Black Sea, Turkey's transportation minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu reported.
- The Altura, carrying about 1 million barrels of crude oil from Russia's Novorossiysk port, is sanctioned by the EU and Britain and was attacked just outside Turkish territorial waters; all 27 crew members are safe.
- The incident is part of a series of recent attacks on Western-sanctioned vessels involved in Russian oil transport, amid ongoing tensions and conflict in the Black Sea region involving Russia and Ukraine.
- Previous attacks on tankers in the area have raised shipping insurance rates and prompted warnings from Moscow and calls for calm from Turkey, with some experts suspecting state-sponsored sabotage, though Ukraine has not claimed responsibility.
- The Altura is owned by China-based Sea Grace Shipping Ltd and managed by Turkey-based Pergamon Denizcilik; no immediate comments were made by Moscow or Kyiv regarding the attack.
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