Drone strikes crude oil tanker near the Bosphorus

A Sierra Leone-flagged crude oil tanker under Turkish management, loaded with Russian crude, was reportedly struck by a drone in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus Strait on 26 March.

According to Diaplous Intelligence, initial media reporting indicates the incident occurred about 15.0 nm off the Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul, Turkey, while the tanker was inbound from Novorossiysk, Russia toward Istanbul, Turkey.

Bridge damage and engine-room water ingress were reported, with no crew injuries confirmed.

• Reported damage affected the bridge and the engine room, with subsequent water ingress. Emergency assistance was requested and Turkish response units/tugs were reportedly dispatched to the scene.
• No casualties were reported among the crew at the time of writing. Open-source reporting indicates the crew remained safe while emergency response operations were underway.
• Public reporting has not yet produced a definitive official attribution. Turkish authorities had not issued a confirmed public statement on the origin of the attack at the time of drafting.
• The vessel is publicly identified in sanctions records as involved in the transport of Russian oil to third countries, increasing the likelihood that the event will be viewed in the context of the broader Black Sea shadow-fleet targeting pattern.

The incident reinforces the continuing threat to merchant tankers operating to or from Russian Black Sea ports, especially along the Novorossiysk, Russia to Turkish Straits approach corridor, where recent drone and unmanned maritime attacks have already elevated war-risk concerns.

Recommendations:

• Primary shipboard safety measures: Maintain heightened watch in accordance with BMP MS 2025, restrict non-essential deck activity, minimize exposure of personnel on open decks, verify access control, and prepare for immediate maneuvering or damage-control action if suspicious air or surface contacts are detected.
• Reporting requirements and channels: Report immediately any suspicious aerial activity, unmanned surface contacts, explosions, abnormal wake signatures, or nearby debris to the relevant Turkish coastal authorities, company security desk, and other competent reporting channels, preserve CCTV, bridge logs, radar history, and AIS records.
• Additional security measures and drills: Conduct a focused security muster, verify firefighting and flooding-response readiness, review internal communications, and brief crew on immediate actions for blast damage, loss of propulsion, water ingress, and emergency towing support in line with BMP MS 2025.
• Communications and coordination guidance: Maintain continuous monitoring on VHF and distress and safety channels, ensure satcom redundancy, and coordinate closely with Turkish coastal response units, port control, and nearby merchant traffic during any developing emergency or traffic-management measures in the Bosphorus approach area.
• Any further general guidance: Treat this event as a reminder that tankers trading to or from Russian Black Sea ports remain exposed to kinetic and hybrid attack risks beyond port limits. Masters and operators should review voyage-specific threat assessments, crew-protection posture, contingency anchorages, and insurance notification requirements before Black Sea transits.
• source: safety4sea