‘Virat’ of Russia’s Shadow Fleet Targeted by Unmanned Drone in Black Sea

Turkey on Saturday said an unmanned vessel had reportedly attacked a tanker linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet off the country’s Black Sea coast, a day after the ship was initially struck.

In a statement, the Turkish transport ministry said the tanker Virat suffered minor damage but remains stable, and all crew members are safe. “The Virat, which was reportedly attacked by unmanned vessels about 35 miles offshore in the Black Sea, was targeted again this morning. The vessel sustained minor damage to its starboard side above the waterline,” the ministry said.

Authorities did not immediately identify who was responsible for the reported attacks.

In a separate incident, Turkish officials said firefighting and cooling operations were still underway on another Russian-bound tanker that caught fire following an explosion in the Black Sea. Rescue teams evacuated all 25 crew members from the 274-metre-long Kairos after the blaze, the ministry added.

On Friday, Turkey had said the Kairos was en route to Russia’s Novorossiysk port when it reported an “external impact” that triggered a fire around 28 nautical miles off the Turkish coast. According to LSEG data, both Virat and Kairos feature on lists of vessels subject to sanctions imposed on Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.