Two tankers linked to Russia’s sanctioned fleet were hit by blasts in the Black Sea on Friday, igniting fires and triggering an extensive response from Turkish authorities. All crewmembers from both vessels were confirmed safe.
The first alarm came from the 150,000 dwt Kairos, a 2002-built suezmax, which reported an “external impact” while sailing in ballast from Egypt toward Novorossiysk. The vessel was about 28 nautical miles off Kocaeli when the incident occurred. Following the alert, Turkish teams deployed fast rescue craft, a tug and an emergency response vessel, evacuating all 25 crew as flames developed on board.
Less than an hour later, the 115,600 dwt Virat — a 2018-built aframax — reported being “struck” roughly 35 nautical miles east of the first site. Heavy smoke filled its engine room, but its 20-person crew was also accounted for without injury.
Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said early findings pointed to potential external interference, noting that possibilities examined by authorities included drifting mines or a missile or drone hit. He stressed that investigators had not reached a conclusion and continued to analyse the circumstances.
Both tankers are listed under Western sanctions as part of Russia’s shadow fleet. The region has faced intermittent mine activity since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with drifting devices periodically detected by nearby states. Turkish officials said firefighting and safety operations remained underway Friday evening while teams worked to determine what caused the damage.
