ANKARA: Two tankers were struck and caught fire in the Black Sea, prompting rescue operations, Turkish authorities reported Friday. Crew members on board both vessels were reported to be safe.
The OpenSanctions database, which tracks people or organizations involved in sanctions evasion, described the vessels as “shadow fleet” — or vessels used to evade sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Russia.
Turkiye’s Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said the first tanker, the Gambian-flagged Kairos, caught fire in the Black Sea, approximately 28 miles (45 kilometers) off the coast of Turkiye’s Kocaeli province. It blamed the fire on “an external impact,” without providing details.
The Kairos was sailing empty toward Russia’s Novorossiysk port, it said.
Within the hour, the maritime authority reported that a second tanker, Virat, was “struck” while sailing in the Black Sea about 35 nautical miles off the Turkish coast. It did not provide further details.
