ANKARA: Turkish authorities are investigating alleged external interference after two oil tankers linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” were struck in quick succession in the Black Sea, causing at least one major fire and prompting large-scale rescue operations. All crew members from both vessels were reported safe.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said rescue teams suspected the tankers had been subjected to “external interference”. He later told reporters that the captain of the Virat tanker had issued a distress call over “a drone attack”.
Earlier, he told broadcaster NTV, “The first things that come to mind for external interference could be a mine, a missile, a marine vessel or a drone. We don’t have definitive information on this.”
The OpenSanctions database, which tracks people or organisations involved in sanctions evasion, describes both tankers as part of the “shadow fleet,” vessels used to evade sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The United States sanctioned the 'Virat' in January this year, followed by the European Union, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada. The EU sanctioned the Kairos in July this year, followed by the U.K. and Switzerland.
The first incident occurred when the Gambian-flagged Kairos caught fire approximately 28 miles (45 kilometres) off Turkey’s Kocaeli province.
Turkey’s Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said the blaze was caused by “an external impact”, without providing further details. The Kairos was sailing empty towards Russia’s Novorossiysk port when it was struck.
Kocaeli Governor Ilhami Aktas said all 25 crew members aboard the Kairos had been safely evacuated and that “a large fire is taking place”. He added that efforts to extinguish the flames were continuing.
He declined to comment on whether the vessel may have hit sea mines, stating that authorities would issue “a clearer statement” once investigations were completed.
Within an hour of the Kairos incident, authorities reported that a second tanker, the Virat, had been “struck” while sailing about 35 nautical miles off the Turkish coast. Earlier reports cited heavy smoke in the engine room.
All 20 crew members were safe and no evacuation request was made. Maritime authorities had initially mentioned a fire aboard the Virat but later clarified that the ship was not ablaze on Saturday, although the crew reported explosions.
The minister said the events took place within Turkey’s exclusive economic zone and that Ankara was in contact with relevant counterparts “to prevent a recurrence and to ensure navigational safety”.
Haberturk television reported that the tankers may have been attacked by drones operating on the water’s surface, although officials have not confirmed this.
The maritime authority posted distant video showing smoke rising from the area where the Kairos burned. VesselFinder data showed the Virat was anchored north of the Bosphorus on Nov. 4, not far from its last reported location.
The Kairos’ last logged position was on Nov. 26 south of the Dardanelles Strait, which links the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara.
OpenSanctions notes that the “shadow tanker fleet continues to provide multibillion-dollar revenues for the Kremlin bypassing sanctions, disguising its activities under the flags of third countries, using complex schemes to conceal owners and poses significant environmental threats”.
The Virat, built in 2018, uses “irregular and high-risk shipping practices” and has previously sailed under the flags of Barbados, Comoros, Liberia and Panama. The Kairos, built in 2002, was formerly flagged as Panamanian, Greek and Liberian.
Ukraine’s military intelligence service, the GUR, says on its website that both ships visit Russian ports and have a history of shutting off their automatic identification systems, which transmit a ship’s position. The vessels have also docked at ports in China, Turkey and India, among other locations.
Ukraine has successfully targeted Russian shipping during the war, particularly using explosives-packed marine drones, although such operations have largely been limited to the northern Black Sea.
Turkey has not attributed responsibility for Friday’s incidents, with investigations ongoing.