The unmanned tanker Grace Romavictor ran aground on Turkey’s Black Sea coast on 14 October after its towline broke in heavy seas, leaving the vessel drifting towards the shoreline northwest of Istanbul.
The 49,990-dwt, Liberia-flagged oil and chemical tanker grounded near Çilingöz Nature Park in the Çatalca district after separating from the Cameroon-flagged tug Athletic during an operation to move the vessel to İğneada port.
According to Turkish news agency Demirören Haber Ajansı (DHA), the tanker had been under tow since 12 October. The operation was disrupted by strong winds and large waves off Çatalca, where the towing connection failed.
The master of Athletic contacted Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) after encountering difficulties continuing the voyage. The tug subsequently reported plans to seek shelter at İğneada, while Grace Romavictor, which had no crew on board, drifted towards the coast.
The Turkish Coast Guard was dispatched after receiving an emergency report at approximately 13:33 local time on 14 October. Initial inspections around the grounded vessel and the surrounding waters found no evidence of fuel leakage or marine pollution.
The tanker was reported to be empty at the time of the grounding. The Istanbul Regional Port Authority began coordinating efforts to recover the vessel and remove it from the shoreline.
The Turkish Directorate General of Coastal Safety’s vessel traffic records identify Grace Romavictor as a chemical tanker measuring 183.31 metres in length and Athletic as a 37.6-metre tug. Both vessels appear in the records at 11:09 on 11 October.
Grace Romavictor, built in 2012, had reportedly been damaged in an earlier attack near Russia’s Black Sea coast. Turkish media said the vessel had been left without a crew before the towing operation began. The circumstances of the attack and the extent of the damage were not independently established in the available reports.
The tanker’s planned destination was İğneada, although no confirmed information was available on whether the vessel was intended for repair, further relocation or recycling.
The grounding follows other incidents involving damaged merchant vessels in the Black Sea. The tanker Kairos, which was damaged in a drone attack off Turkey in November 2025, subsequently required assistance after encountering difficulties during efforts to move the vessel.
Another abandoned vessel, the bulk carrier Emil, was reported drifting towards Bulgaria’s Black Sea coastline before a salvage tug took it under tow.
As of the initial reports on 14 October, Turkish authorities had started recovery preparations for Grace Romavictor, but no confirmed schedule for refloating or removing the tanker had been announced.
