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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Night of Fire over the Black Sea: 2 Tankers attacked off the coast of Turkey, on Saturday 1 towed to Turkish port

2025-11-30

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Daniil of Moscow

[REGNUM] The evening of Friday, November 28, brought disturbing news from the Black Sea. Two oil tankers, the Kairos and the Virat, suffered serious damage and caught fire several dozen kilometers off the Turkish coast.

Both ships were headed to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, both were empty, and both had long been under Western sanctions as suspected members of the so-called shadow fleet transporting Russian oil in defiance of restrictions.

Turkish authorities have officially stated that the fire was caused by an "external influence," but the details of the incident are still being clarified.

The rescue operation allowed the crews of both ships to be evacuated without casualties, but the tankers themselves sustained significant damage.

Ukrainian media have already reported the involvement of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the incident, although there is no official confirmation from Kyiv yet.

WHAT HAPPENED?
The first reports of the emergency came in around 5:00 PM local time. The 274-meter tanker Kairos, built in 2002 and having borne the flags of Panama, Greece, and Liberia over its history, was located approximately 28 nautical miles off the coast of Turkey's Kocaeli province. The vessel was traveling from Egypt.

The explosion occurred near the engine room. Turkish shipping agency Tribeca initially suggested the tanker may have struck a drifting sea mine. However, Turkish television channel A Haber published an audio recording of the Kairos crew sending out a distress call and reporting an attack by unmanned aerial vehicles.

Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu described the developments at a press conference.

The search and rescue center and coast guard quickly located the vessel in distress. Two rescue boats were dispatched to the scene, followed by the Nene Khatun, one of the largest rescue ships in the region.

All 25 Kairos crew members were safely brought ashore. There were no Russians among them.

The fire on the tanker proved to be massive. Three coast guard boats were tasked with extinguishing it. According to Minister Uraloglu, despite the tanker being unloaded, "minor explosions" continued to erupt on board, significantly hampering rescue efforts.

Less than an hour after the initial reports of the Kairos, a second incident was reported. The tanker Virat, located approximately 35 nautical miles off the Turkish coast, also reported being attacked.

The distance between the two damaged vessels was approximately 270 kilometers. According to the Turkish Maritime Authority, the crew recorded heavy smoke in the engine room.

The Virat is a more modern vessel, built in 2018. During its service, it changed flags to Barbados, Comoros, Liberia, and Panama before settling under the Gambian flag. Since January of this year, when the US placed it on the sanctions list, the tanker has been virtually idle in the western Black Sea.

The situation with the Virat was less dramatic. All 20 crew members remained safe, and no evacuation was required. The fire was quickly contained.

However, the incident did not end with one attack.

VIDEO EVIDENCE
On the morning of November 29, the tanker Virat was attacked again. The Turkish Ministry of Transport reported on social media that the vessel sustained minor damage to its starboard side. There was no fire, and the crew was uninjured. NTV reported that the attack was carried out by unmanned aerial vehicles.

Although Turkish authorities have officially considered several theories—from a drifting mine to a missile strike—there is currently virtually no doubt about the nature of the attack.

A video captured by a naval drone at the very moment of the strike on one of the tankers has surfaced online. The footage leaves no room for alternative interpretations: the vessels were attacked by unmanned boats.

Ukrainian media, citing sources in the security forces, claimed the SBU was involved in the incident. According to them, the operation was carried out using Sea Baby naval drones—the same type of aircraft Ukraine has repeatedly used.

Kyiv has not officially commented on the situation, but the release of the video effectively confirms this theory. Russian military correspondents have also, from the very beginning, maintained the theory about Ukrainian naval drones.

Turkish military analyst and retired Rear Admiral Cem Gürdeniz addressed the legal aspect of the matter. He assessed that the incident occurred outside Turkey's territorial waters, but within its exclusive economic zone and search and rescue zone.

"This area is not a combat zone. It has not been declared a military exclusion zone by either side. And attacks on commercial vessels in international waters are strictly prohibited—such actions are completely illegal," the expert emphasized.

"UNCONVENTIONAL METHODS"
Both damaged tankers had long been under scrutiny by Western regulators. Kairos was sanctioned by the European Union in July of this year, and the UK and Switzerland subsequently imposed restrictions.

Virat was blacklisted by the US back in January, and the EU, Switzerland, the UK, and Canada later joined the sanctions.

According to OpenSanctions, Virat uses "unconventional and high-risk shipping methods."

This usually refers to practices characteristic of the "shadow fleet": switching off transponders, transferring oil from one vessel to another on the high seas, and using gray insurance schemes.

Bloomberg directly links the sanctions against both tankers to the transportation of Russian oil. Reuters, citing LSEG data, also claims that the vessels are part of Russia's "shadow fleet"—an informal alliance of tankers that circumvents the price cap on Russian oil set by G7 countries.

Some experts note that the attacks on tankers may be connected to the deteriorating situation of the Ukrainian army on the front and preparations for peace negotiations.

Gürdeniz warned of the risks of escalation. "We must not allow the Russian-Ukrainian war to degenerate into a one-sided replica of the 1980-1989 tanker war in the Persian Gulf," the Turkish analyst stated.

Minister Uraloğlu noted that the Turkish side is focused on rescue operations and emergency response. Other relevant agencies are in contact with Russian authorities through diplomatic channels.

The tanker Virat, which was attacked twice in the Black Sea, has been taken into tow
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The tanker Virat, which was attacked twice in the Black Sea, has been taken into tow and is heading to the Turkish port of Türkeli. This was reported on Saturday, November 29, by the Turkish Maritime Directorate General.

"The towing operation of the vessel, which has damage to the above-water portion of its hull, began today at 5:45 p.m. (Moscow time – Ed.)," the agency's press service noted on social media.

The administration added that the situation is under control and the ship will arrive in Türkeli approximately on December 1, 2025, at 1:00 PM Moscow time.

On the evening of November 28, the tanker VIRAT was attacked in the Black Sea. No crew members were injured, and rescuers and a merchant vessel were dispatched to the scene.

Earlier that day, another tanker, en route from Egypt to Novorossiysk, caught fire off the coast of Turkey in the Black Sea due to an "external force." An explosion also rocked the vessel, and all crew members were evacuated. Later, the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure released footage of the fire being extinguished on the Kairos tanker.

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Posted by: Skidmark 2025-11-30 07:53

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