Turkish Minister: Tankers Of Russia's "shadow Fleet" In The Black Sea Were Hit By Missiles Or Drones

• 29.11.2025, 11:52

The information is being clarified.

Two oil tankers, which may be part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" and which caught fire off Turkey's Black Sea coast the day before, could have been hit by missiles or drones.

Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu was quoted by AP.

The fires on the tankers Kairos and Virat became known on Friday afternoon. Crew members of both vessels are reported to be safe.

The Turkish minister said rescue services first received a report that the Kairos may have been hit by a mine, and then they were informed of an explosion on the Virat.

"Our crew members report that there were explosions on the other ship, which were also caused by external interference. The first thing that comes to mind regarding external interference is a mine, missile, naval vessel or drone. We have no definitive information on this," Uraloglu said.

The Gambia-flagged Kairos vessel caught fire in the Black Sea about 28 nautical miles (52 kilometers) off the coast of Turkey's Kocaeli province, Turkey's General Directorate of Maritime Affairs said. It was sailing without cargo to the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

It was later reported that a second tanker, Virat, was "struck" while sailing in the Black Sea about 35 nautical miles (64 kilometers) off the Turkish coast. No further details were provided.

According to the OpenSanctions portal, the US imposed sanctions against the Virat vessel in January this year and was later joined by the European Union, Switzerland, the UK and Canada. Similarly, in July this year, the EU imposed sanctions against the Kairos vessel, and then the UK and Switzerland joined them.