Overview
- The Sierra Leone‑flagged tanker reported an engine‑room blast about 14 nautical miles off the Bosporus after what Turkey called a likely attack by an unmanned underwater vehicle.
- Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said the explosion targeted the engine room, all 27 Turkish crew were unhurt, and the ship was not in danger of sinking.
- Reuters identified the vessel as Altura, owned by Turkish firm Besiktas under EU and UK sanctions, which had departed Novorossiysk carrying crude oil reported at about 140,000 tonnes.
- The Turkish coast guard and technical teams were dispatched, and investigators have not assigned blame or confirmed any link to the Russia–Ukraine war.
- Days earlier, Turkish authorities found an explosive undersea drone on the Black Sea coast near Ordu, heightening concern about hard‑to‑detect threats to shipping in the area.