Explosions Damage Two Sanctioned Tankers in the Black Sea

By Staff, Agencies

Two Western-sanctioned tankers were damaged by explosions in the Black Sea on Friday, Turkish officials reported.

The Kairos, a Gambian-flagged vessel en route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, caught fire 28 nautical miles off Türkiye’s coast.

The Turkish Directorate General for Maritime Affairs cited unspecified “external factors” as the cause. All 25 crew members, mostly Chinese, were rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard. Footage shows the ship engulfed in flames.

Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu suggested a possible mine strike as the initial assessment.

A second vessel, the Virat, also Gambian-flagged, reported a “strike” 35 nautical miles off the Turkish coast, allegedly by drones. Rescue teams were dispatched to evacuate its 20 crew members.

Both tankers had been sanctioned by Western states for transporting oil in violation of restrictions on Russia amid the Ukraine conflict. Moscow denied operating a “shadow fleet.”