Overview
- The Altura, which reported an engine-room blast early Thursday near the northern entrance to the Bosphorus, was carrying about 140,000 tonnes of Russian crude.
- Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the strike likely came from an unmanned surface vessel rather than an aerial drone.
- All 27 crew members were unhurt as Turkish rescue and law enforcement units moved to the site and opened an investigation, and no one had claimed responsibility.
- The tanker now sails under Sierra Leone’s flag and was added to EU, Swiss, Ukrainian and UK sanctions lists between October 2025 and February 2026.
- Local outlets differ on the weapon description, with some citing an unmanned submersible, while the strike’s location near the Bosphorus highlights risks to energy shipping through a key maritime chokepoint.