Russian tanker struck off Turkiye as Ukraine targets shadow fleet'

"The reported attack on the Midvolga-2 comes days after Ukraine hit two other Russian-flagged ships in the Black Sea. A Russian-flagged tanker in the Black Sea has reported being attacked off the Turkish coast, the third such vessel to have been targeted within a week. The Turkish Directorate General of Maritime Affairs said on Tuesday that the Midvolga-2 had reported coming under attack about 130km (80 miles) from land. list of 4 itemsend of list The tanker was reportedly carrying sunflower oil to Georgia."

"The 13 members of the Midvolga-2 crew were unharmed, the directorate said on X, adding that the vessel had not requested assistance and it was proceeding towards Turkiye's Sinop port. It did not provide further details, but Turkish TV channel NTV reported that a kamikaze drone was used. A Turkish official told the Reuters news agency that in response to the incident, the necessary messages were conveyed to the relevant parties, including Ukrainian authorities."

"The Kairos and the Virat were targeted on Friday by Ukraine as they headed to a Russian port to load up with oil destined for foreign markets, a Kyiv official told Reuters. A total of 113 such vessels sailed under a false flag in the first nine months of this year, transporting some 11 million tonnes of Russian crude, valued at 4.7 billion euros ($5.4bn), according to a recent report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Helsinki-based think tank."

A Russian-flagged tanker, Midvolga-2, reported coming under attack about 130km (80 miles) from the Turkish coast while carrying sunflower oil to Georgia. All 13 crew members were reported unharmed and the vessel proceeded toward Turkiye's Sinop port without requesting assistance. Turkish media reported that a kamikaze drone may have been used, and Turkish officials conveyed messages about the incident to relevant parties, including Ukrainian authorities. The attack follows Ukrainian strikes on the Kairos and the Virat, vessels tied to a shadow fleet moving sanctioned Russian crude. A CREA report found 113 falsely flagged vessels transported about 11 million tonnes of crude valued at 4.7 billion euros.

Read at www.aljazeera.com