In the Black Sea, 15 miles from the Istanbul Strait, an explosion occurred on the tanker Altura, which was loaded with crude oil. Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, stated that preliminary data indicate the incident was caused by an “unmanned maritime vehicle,” reports the Turkish TV channel NTV.
According to the report, the Altura, which had departed from the port of Novorossiysk, Russia, carrying 140,000 tons of oil, suffered an explosion that damaged the tanker’s bridge and allowed water to enter the engine room.
Following the emergency request, a coast guard vessel and the multifunctional emergency response ship Nene Hatun were dispatched to the site.
Uraloglu noted that the incident is believed to have been carried out using an “unmanned maritime vessel.”
The minister added that technical teams have been sent to the scene and confirmed that of the 27 crew members, “no one was injured and everyone is in good health.”
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the tanker Altura was involved in exporting Russian oil and petroleum products during the period of the G7 and EU oil embargo and the price cap policy on Russian oil. Specifically, from January 2024 to July 2025, the vessel transported around 6 million barrels of oil, operating voyages from Novorossiysk to India and Georgia.
The tanker had been under sanctions by Ukraine, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, after which it changed its name, flag, and management, coming under the control of the Turkish company Pergamon Denizcilik Isletmeleri AS.
The vessel regularly called at Russian ports and conducted voyages with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off.
