Unknown drones attack oil tankers in Black Sea near Russia's Novorossiysk - Media
Illustrative photo: unknown drones attacked oil tankers in the Black Sea near Novorossiysk (Getty Images)
On Tuesday, January 13, in the Black Sea near the Russian coast, unknown drones attacked three Greek-owned oil tankers. The vessels were en route to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal to load oil, Reuters reports.
According to Reuters sources, the attack took place near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s Black Sea terminal. The vessels Delta Harmon and Matilda were hit.
Another vessel, Delta Supreme, was also affected. All three ships are operated by the Greek company Delta Tankers.
It is noted that one of the tankers, Delta Harmony, was due to load oil of Kazakh origin.
Another vessel, Matilda, is operated by the Greek company Thenamaris and was supposed to load oil from Karachaganak.
A source told the agency that the vessel was hit by two drones while waiting 30 miles from the Caspian Consortium terminal.
"There were no injuries, and the ship suffered minor damage to deck structures according to an initial assessment, which is fully repairable. The ship, seaworthy as it is, is now sailing away from the area," a Thenamaris spokesperson said.
Two maritime security sources said that a fire reportedly broke out on board Matilda but was quickly extinguished.
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium pipeline delivers oil to the Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka terminal on the Black Sea, near Novorossiysk in southern Russia.
It is also worth noting that Ukraine has not reported striking the tankers.
Drones hit other tankers
On January 8 media reported that a drone attacked the oil tanker Elbus near the city of Kastamonu on the coast of Türkiye while it was in the Black Sea under the flag of Palau.
The tanker was heading to the Russian port of Novorossiysk to load oil.
In December, RBC-Ukraine, citing sources in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), reported that two tankers from Russia’s shadow fleet — Kairos and Virat — were struck by SBU Sea Baby drones equipped with enhanced warheads. The operation was carried out jointly by the SBU’s 13th Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence and the Ukrainian Navy.
Earlier, it also became known that explosions occurred on two tankers belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus Strait, causing the vessels to catch fire.
Overall, in the final weeks of December, Ukrainian drones attacked four oil tankers linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, which helps Moscow circumvent international sanctions.
