The sanctioned shadow-fleet oil tanker Qendil, previously targeted by Ukrainian drones and subject to multiple international sanctions, has run aground near Bozcaada, an island in the Aegean Sea, triggering an emergency response from Turkish authorities but with no reports so far of casualties or pollution.
The 115,000-dwt crude carrier Qendil (IMO 9310525), built in 2006, sails under the flag of Oman, with ownership linked to interests in India and technical management based in China. Over the past three years, the vessel has changed owners three times and cycled through six different flags, while trading frequently between Russia’s St. Petersburg oil export region and the Indian ports of Vadinar and Mangaluru, both known destinations for Russian crude moving outside mainstream channels. This profile has placed Qendil firmly within the “shadow fleet” serving Russia’s oil exports.
Turkey’s maritime safety agency KEGM said the roughly 250 m tanker was in ballast on a voyage from Aliaga to Yalova when the grounding occurred off Bozcaada (Tenedos), an island just south of the Dardanelles in a busy tourist region dotted with small Greek and Turkish islands. AIS data from Pole Star indicate that Qendil arrived off the island on 30 December and anchored to the southwest at a depth considered suitable for a vessel of her size, maintaining a relatively steady position and tracing a typical anchor circle through to 3 January.
At about 1030 hours GMT on 4 January, the tanker unexpectedly left her anchorage and began drifting downwind for reasons that have not yet been officially disclosed. AIS tracking shows the vessel reaching a speed of about four knots while adrift before coming to rest on a rocky section of shoreline approximately 100 m from the coast. Footage from the scene shows Qendil exposed to strong onshore winds and heavy seas as she lay aground.
KEGM reported that the ship was in ballast at the time of the incident, reducing the immediate risk of a spill. Two KEGM tugs, Kurtarma-10 and Kurtarma-16, were dispatched promptly to the scene to assist the grounded tanker, and authorities have so far reported neither injuries nor visible pollution around the vessel.
OpenSanctions records show that Qendil previously formed part of the sanctioned fleets of Oceanix Management FZE and Gatik Ship Management. The tanker has been targeted by sanctions imposed by Canada, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand, alongside Ukrainian measures. Kyiv has blacklisted both the vessel and her master, identified by the GRU as Russian national Andrei Chumakov, and Ukrainian forces carried out a drone attack against Qendil in the Mediterranean in mid-December.
