Oil tanker with a million barrels explodes after docking in Russian ports
Photo: The Vilamoura tanker unexpectedly exploded (shipspotting.com)
The oil tanker Vilamoura, carrying 1 million barrels of oil, exploded off the coast of Libya. The vessel called at Russian ports twice, reports Bloomberg.
The Vilamoura tanker is being towed to Greece, where experts will assess the damage. According to a representative of TMS Tankers, the explosion led to the flooding of the engine room, and water is entering the hull. The exact cause of the incident is still unknown.
Ship's history and connections with Russian ports
Vilamoura called at the Russian port of Ust-Luga in early April, where it loaded oil of Kazakh origin. In May, it also called at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, which loads mostly Kazakh oil.
Crew safe, no pollution
According to the management company, there was no environmental pollution after the incident. All crew members are safe.
Vilamoura changed its course after the incident and is heading to Greece. The vessel is expected to arrive at one of the ports to undergo technical diagnostics and assess the extent of the damage.
A series of mysterious explosions
According to the consulting company Vanguard Tech, since the beginning of the year, similar explosions have occurred on four other vessels. All of them had previously called at Russian ports.
After such incidents, shipowners began using divers and underwater drones to check the hulls of ships for mines and other threats.
Oil and gas are the main sources of Russia's war budget. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposes to cut the price cap for Russian oil in half, to $30, which would make Moscow much more peaceful.
Senator Lindsey Graham says that US President Donald Trump supports a bill to impose 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil.
