Drone attacks sanctioned Russian oil tanker in Black Sea – media
Haber Denizde reported this in an article, according to Ukrinform.
"The crude oil tanker Altura, under four separate sanctions, was attacked by a maritime drone 14 miles from the Bosporus," the report stated.
It is noted that an explosion occurred on the tanker's bridge. The engine room flooded. The vessel was carrying 140,000 tons of crude oil.
According to Bloomberg, there are no fatalities or injuries among the crew, which includes 27 Turkish sailors. Turkish Coast Guard and Security Directorate units, the emergency rescue vessel Nene Hatun, and tugboats were dispatched to the site.
Tracking systems show that the Suezmax-class tanker was en route from Novorossiysk, loaded with roughly 1 million barrels (136,400 tonnes) of Urals crude oil.
Previously, the tanker was part of the Beşiktaş Denizcilik fleet and named Beşiktaş Dardanelles. In May 2024, it was acquired by the Panamanian company Kayseri Shipping and renamed Kayseri. In November 2025, Istanbul-based Pergamon Denizcilik purchased the vessel and renamed it Altura.
The ship was added to the EU sanctions list on October 24, 2025; Switzerland and Ukraine imposed sanctions on December 13, 2025; and the UK on February 24, 2026.
Kayseri Shipping founder Hector Varela de Leon was also sanctioned by the US in July 2025. It is claimed that the actual owner of the company is Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani, who was killed in February 2026.
There has been no official confirmation or reaction to the incident so far.
As Ukrinform previously reported, on March 14, a Greek-flagged tanker was allegedly attacked near the Russian port of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea.
Photo: Geir Vinnes/VesselFinder
