Two tankers linked to Russia’s shadow fleet were hit by blasts and caught fire in the Black Sea on Friday, prompting a major rescue response from Turkish authorities. All crewmembers from both ships are reported safe.
The 150,000 dwt 2002-built suezmax Kairos was the first to issue a distress call after reporting an “external impact” around 28 nautical miles off Kocaeli province while sailing in ballast from Egypt to Novorossiysk. Turkish rescue services dispatched fast rescue craft, a tug and an emergency response vessel, removing all 25 crew as fire broke out on board.
Within an hour, a second tanker — the 115,600 dwt 2018-built aframax Virat — reported being “struck” roughly 35 nautical miles off the Turkish coast further east. Heavy smoke was detected in the engine room, but all 20 crew were confirmed safe.
Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said early assessments indicated some form of “external interference,” with possibilities ranging from drifting mines to a missile or drone strike. He added that investigations were ongoing and no cause had been confirmed.
Both tankers appear on Western sanctions lists as part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. The Black Sea has seen sporadic mine incidents since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, with drifting devices periodically detected by coastal states.
Turkish authorities said firefighting and safety operations continued through Friday evening as investigators worked to determine what hit the vessels.
