Turkish officials announced on Friday that they had evacuated crews from two oil tankers in the Black Sea following incidents involving explosions and fires, indicating that they might have been struck by explosive devices.
The Directorate General for Maritime Affairs communicated via X that the Kairos, which was empty and headed to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, ignited 28 nautical miles (52 kilometers) off the Turkish coast “due to external factors.”
“All 25 crew members are safe and unharmed,” they reported.
Flames and substantial black smoke were seen emanating from the bow of the vessel, but there were no immediate reports of sea pollution.
The fire on the Gambian-flagged Kairos broke out around 6:00 PM near Kefken, in Turkey’s northern Kocaeli province, as stated by Governor Ilhami Aktas during an interview with private broadcaster NTV.
A second oil tanker, the Virat, “reported being impacted approximately 35 nautical miles away,” according to the directorate, which did not detail the nature of the impact.
“Rescue teams and another cargo vessel were dispatched to the location. The 20 crew members on board are also safe and sound, although thick smoke was detected in the engine compartment,” it stated.
The Virat is likewise registered under the Gambian flag, as noted on the Vesselfinder website.
“An external factor suggests that the vessel may have encountered a mine, a missile, or a similar projectile, or possibly a drone or an unmanned underwater vehicle,” Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said during the NTV broadcast.
Both tankers are subject to Western sanctions for carrying oil from Russian ports in violation of an embargo that followed Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The minister affirmed that the 25 crew members from the Kairos were successfully evacuated and that rescue teams also reached the Virat.
“Their health and safety are not in jeopardy,” he confirmed.
“No pollution has been observed so far, but we are closely monitoring the situation regarding the fire.”
Since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, numerous naval mines have been identified and destroyed in the Black Sea.
These mines, deployed by both sides to secure their coastlines, have drifted, especially during storms.
In response to this threat, NATO members Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania, all of which have Black Sea coastlines, established a Naval Mine Countermeasures Group in 2024.
