Turkish-operated oil tanker targeted in attack near Istanbul: transport minister
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu says all 27 Turkish crew members on the tanker were safe after the Black Sea drone attack.
A foreign-flagged, Turkish-operated crude oil tanker was targeted on Thursday in an attack in the Black Sea near Istanbul, Türkiye’s transport minister said, adding that no casualties were reported among the crew.
The vessel, named Altura, carrying around 140,000 tonnes of crude oil, was struck, with the engine room as the apparent target, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said during a live broadcast on 24TV.
“An explosion was reported in the engine room of a Turkish-operated, foreign-flagged ship that had recently left Russia. We suspect the blast was caused by an unmanned underwater vehicle,” Uraloglu said.
The minister also noted that there were 27 Turkish crew members on board at the time of the incident, all of whom were reported safe.
He added that the technical team were directed to the scene, and the situation continues to be closely monitored.
This is a developing story and it will be updated…