EditBlasts hit sanctioned tankers off Turkey’s coast, rescues underway
Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said rescuers suspected "external intervention," though an official cause remains under investigation
Explosions struck two heavily sanctioned oil tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet in the Black Sea off Turkey’s northern coast on Friday, igniting fires aboard the vessels and triggering swift rescue operations that safely evacuated all 45 crew members, Turkish authorities confirmed.
The near-simultaneous incidents, which occurred within about an hour of each other, have heightened concerns over maritime security in the war-torn region, with unconfirmed reports suggesting possible mine strikes or other external attacks.
The first vessel, the 274-meter Suezmax-class tanker Kairos, reported an “external impact” around 6 p.m. local time (1500 GMT), sparking a blaze in its engine room approximately 28 nautical miles (52 km) north of Kefken in Turkey’s Kocaeli province, according to Turkey’s Directorate General of Maritime Affairs. The Gambia-flagged ship, built in 2002 and previously sailing under Panamanian, Greek, and Liberian flags, was en route empty from Egypt to Russia’s Novorossiysk port after delivering a cargo of Urals crude to Paradip, India.
Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu told Haberturk television that rescuers suspected “external intervention,” though an official cause remains under investigation.
In response, two fast rescue boats, a tugboat, and an emergency response vessel rushed to the scene, evacuating all 25 crew members without injury. However, the Kairos is taking on water and at risk of sinking, with heavy smoke continuing to billow from the site, local port agent Tribeca Shipping Agency reported. Distant images released by Turkish maritime authorities showed thick plumes of black smoke rising over the water, but no oil spill has been detected so far.
Roughly 30 minutes later and about 7 nautical miles farther east, a second explosion rocked the Virat, a 250-meter Aframax-class tanker also flying the Gambian flag, some 35 nautical miles (65 km) offshore near Zonguldak province. The 2018-built vessel, which had been idling in the western Black Sea for much of 2025 awaiting orders, reported damage and smoke in its engine room but no immediate fire or critical distress.
Rescue teams, including a firefighting tug and a commercial vessel, reached the site and confirmed the 20 crew members were in good condition, with no request to abandon ship. Turkish officials dispatched additional support as a precaution.
Both tankers are part of Russia’s opaque “shadow fleet”—a network of hundreds of aging, often uninsured vessels used to evade Western sanctions on Moscow’s oil exports following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Kairos was added to the European Union’s sanctions list in May 2025 (while operating as Katiuska) and the UK’s in July, due to its repeated voyages between Russia and destinations like India.
The Virat, meanwhile, was blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in January 2025, followed by the EU, UK, Switzerland, and Canada; it has a history of high-risk practices and flag-hopping, including stints under Barbados, Comoros, Liberia, and Panama flags.
OpenSanctions, a transparency database, notes that such ships generate billions in revenue for the Kremlin through deceptive ownership structures and third-country flagging, while posing environmental hazards.
The blasts come amid ongoing hazards in the Black Sea, where drifting sea mines—legacy ordnance from the Ukraine conflict—have damaged vessels in recent years, including incidents earlier in 2025 involving ships with Russian port calls.
Spain’s navy has warned of significant mine risks in the area. Unverified media speculation has pointed to possible Ukrainian maritime drones or sabotage, but Turkish officials, including Kocaeli Governor Ilhami Aktaş, have declined to speculate pending inquiries, promising a fuller statement soon.
No group has claimed responsibility.
Despite the drama, the Bosphorus Strait—a vital chokepoint for Russian oil exports—remained open to traffic, with no disruptions reported.
The managers of both tankers, listed on the Equasis safety database, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
With Reuters, Bloomberg, AP, and The Maritime Executive, edited by g.g.
Caption: Flames and thick smoke rise from a tanker after blasts rocked two vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet in the Black Sea near Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait [X, public domain]
Updated: November 29, 2025 - 08:06
