Accra: A Russia-bound crude oil tanker came under a renewed attack off Turkeys Black Sea coast early on Saturday, as reported by the Turkish Transport Ministry. The incident follows earlier explosions on two tankers in the same area, raising concerns over the security of commercial shipping in the region.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Transport Ministry statement on X did not provide details on the nature of the attack, while state broadcaster TRT mentioned reports of a sea drone strike. The cause of the attack remains unconfirmed. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) indicated that one of the terminals landing stages is now unusable, citing a targeted terrorist attack with unmanned boats. Ukraine has been known to employ such sea drones against Russian targets.
The Kazakh Ministry of Energy condemned the attack as a threat to the economic interests of Kazakhstan and is considering alternative transport routes. On Friday, Turkish rescue teams evacuated 25 crew members from one of the tankers, the K
airos, bringing them ashore safely. Meanwhile, the second vessel, the Virat, also heading to Russia, experienced a subsequent attack on Saturday morning. Despite sustaining minor damage, no fire occurred, and the crew remained unharmed, as stated by Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu on social media.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, initiated in 2022, has heightened risks for commercial shipping in the Black Sea, with Russian strikes on ports and Ukrainian drone operations posing significant threats. The CPC consortium, which transports oil from Kazakhstan, has previously faced attacks, including a drone strike on its largest oil pumping station in Russia earlier this year. The consortium resumed operations in May after the February attack and suffered additional damage to its office in Novorossiysk in September. Despite these challenges, CPC continues to transport significant quantities of oil from Kazakhstan, with foreign companies such as ExxonMobil, Eni, and Shell accounting for a su
bstantial portion of the exports.