Ukrainian forces hit sanctioned tanker MARQUISE near Russia's Tuapse
Photo: The sanctioned tanker MARQUISE (facebook.com/GeneralStaff)
On the morning of Wednesday, April 29, a unit of the Ukrainian Navy struck the sanctioned vessel MARQUISE with naval drones near Tuapse, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
At the time of the strike, the unloaded tanker (with a cargo capacity of over 37,000 tons) flying the Cameroonian flag was adrift.
The vessel was located 210 km from Tuapse without an AIS signal (a system used in navigation to identify vessels, their dimensions, course, etc.) and was likely awaiting loading at sea from another vessel.
Drones struck the stern, the explosion occurred in the area of the propeller-rudder assembly and the engine room. The extent of the damage is currently being assessed.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces will continue to take systematic measures to stop Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine," Ukraine's General Staff states.
The tanker MARQUISE is subject to sanctions by Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Canada, and was used by Russia for the illegal transportation of petroleum products.
Russia's shadow fleet
Russia uses maritime logistics not only to export energy resources but also to remove stolen resources from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
Previously, at least eight sanctioned oil tankers sailed through the English Channel despite the British government’s announcement of a crackdown on the shadow fleet.
In addition, a new package of anti-Russian sanctions being prepared by the European Union is intended to block the Russian shadow fleet, which allows the Kremlin to generate revenue from oil.
Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service has reported on Russia's plans to increase the number of oil tankers sailing under the Russian flag.
