Ukraine's attacks on tankers in the Black Sea will pose a challenge for Turkey
Andrey Rezchikov
Political Kaleidoscope
Several incidents involving tankers have occurred near the Turkish coast over the past day. On Saturday, the Virat vessel was attacked again by a drone, and the day before, the Kairos tanker caught fire as a result of an emergency. It was heading to Novorossiysk, where one of the remote berths at the CPC marine terminal was destroyed by a drone strike. Experts say Ukraine is behind the attacks. What does the expansion of its targets from military ships to civilian vessels mean?
On Saturday morning, the Gambian-flagged tanker Virat was attacked again by a drone off the coast of Turkey. On Friday evening, a fire broke out on the ship, which was 35 miles off the coast of Turkey, after an attack by an unmanned aerial vehicle. Rescue teams were sent to the scene. According to the maritime administration, all 20 crew members were safe, although there was heavy smoke in the engine room.
According to Turkish Transport Minister Abdülkadir Uraloğlu, the ship's captain reported the attack on Saturday when contacting the coast guard. There was no fire this time, and the crew did not request evacuation, but Coast Guard boats were sent to the ship. The minister said the causes of the incident are currently under investigation, and once the consequences of the attack are addressed, the tanker will likely be towed to the nearest port.
The day before, the Turkish Maritime Administration reported a fire on the tanker Kairos, which was sailing under the Gambian flag from Egypt to Novorossiysk. According to the Turkish Maritime Directorate, the ship caught fire 28 miles from the coast due to external factors.






































