Drone strike hits tanker carrying Russian crude near Bosphorus
The Altura, a sanctioned tanker carrying about 140,000 tonnes of crude from Russia, was hit in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus on Thursday, damaging the bridge and engine room but leaving all 27 crew members unharmed.
A tanker carrying Russian crude was struck by what Turkish officials described as a marine drone in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus early on Thursday, damaging the vessel but causing no injuries to the 27 crew members on board. The incident was first reported by Turkish broadcaster NTV and later confirmed by Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu.
Bridge and engine room damaged
The Sierra Leone-flagged Altura had departed Russia’s Novorossiysk port carrying about 1 million barrels of crude and appeared almost fully laden, according to ship-tracking data cited by Reuters. NTV reported that the blast damaged the vessel’s bridge and engine room, with water entering the engine room after the explosion.
Rescue vessels sent after distress call
After the Altura issued a distress signal, Turkish authorities dispatched the rescue ship Nene Hatun, coastguard units and other emergency vessels to assist. All 27 crew members were reported safe, and Turkish authorities had not publicly identified who was behind the attack.
Sanctioned vessel under scrutiny
Reuters reported that the tanker is under EU and British sanctions. Britain’s February 24 sanctions list names Altura among ships involved in transporting Russian oil to third countries, while AP reported the vessel has been linked to Russia’s shadow fleet. Refinitiv data cited by Reuters identified China-based Sea Grace Shipping as the registered owner and Turkey-based Pergamon Denizcilik as the manager.
Black Sea risks deepen
The strike adds to a series of recent incidents involving sanctioned vessels in the Black Sea, where drone warfare has become an increasing risk to commercial shipping during the Russia-Ukraine war. Turkey’s defence ministry said on Thursday it was closely monitoring drone threats in the area and that naval units were patrolling to protect shipping and civilians.
