Overview
- The Suezmax tanker Altura, carrying Russian Urals crude, was hit in the Black Sea about 14 miles from the Bosporus in an attack that Turkish officials say was meant to disable the ship.
- Turkey’s transport minister said the blast came from outside the vessel and struck the engine room, and he noted the tanker is operated by a Turkish party under a foreign flag.
- The 27 Turkish crew members were unharmed, and the coast guard deployed the rescue ship Nene Hatun and several tugs to the scene, according to officials and Bloomberg.
- Tracking data shows the ship had loaded about 1 million barrels of crude at Novorossiysk, highlighting spill and shipping risks on a key route linking the Black Sea to global markets.
- The Altura has cycled through names and owners and is under EU, Swiss, Ukrainian, and UK sanctions, while responsibility for the strike remains unconfirmed and investigators continue their work.