Russian Oil Tanker Hit in Suspected Black Sea Drone Strike

By Staff, Agencies

Russian maritime rescue units were deployed early on Saturday to assist an oil tanker off the coast of Crimea. The tanker was left without propulsion after what reports said was a strike by a Ukrainian drone.

“The crew is safe, there were no injuries,” a spokesperson for the Novorossiysk Marine Rescue Coordination Center [MRCC confirmed, shortly after 2 am local time. “The engine room was damaged, though not severely.”

Two tugboats dispatched to help the ship have already arrived and rescue crews are trying to decide whether and where to tow the damaged tanker.

Officials never named the tanker involved. According to multiple Telegram channels, the vessel is a Russian-registered oil carrier Sig, damaged in what was said to be an attack by Ukrainian maritime drones about 45 kilometers south of the Kerch Bridge. Traffic on the bridge was stopped just before midnight, with local authorities saying there was a threat of a drone attack.

Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser to the head of Crimea, said the “loud noises” heard by local residents had nothing to do with the bridge and that he could not confirm any reports of explosions, leading to speculation that the target of the attack may have been the tanker.

A radio message from Sig, requesting assistance, said that their engine room flooded but the ship had stabilized and needed a tow to reach the shore. It did not specify what caused the damage.

Ukrainian sea drones attacked the Black Sea Fleet base at Novorossiysk early on Friday. Kiev also tried to sink civilian ships sailing towards the Bosphorus on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said, but their military escorts destroyed all attacking craft.

There has been no official confirmation of the rumors that Ukraine once again tried to target the Crimea Bridge with maritime drones.