SOS off the coast of Senegal. Tanker with 50 thousand barrels of Russian oil are taking on water

The Turkish tanker MT Mersin, flying the flag of Panama, broadcast an SOS signal when it was at the entrance to the Senegalese port of Dakar, to which it was sailing with 50,000 people. barrels of crude oil loaded in the Russian port of Taman, the Dakar port authority announced on Sunday.

On Friday, the captain of Mersina reported water entering the engine room. On Sunday, videos posted on Platform X showed that the draft of the ship, located a few nautical miles south of Dakar, was well above the waterline. However, there are no signs of fire or external damage.

On Saturday, several ships in the area began moving toward the stranded Turkish vessel to assess the situation and, if necessary, provide support to the crew. Senegalese services also appeared on site, accompanied by tugboats and warships.

The Dakar Port Authority said on Sunday that all crew members were safe and that “authorities are currently working to stabilize the ship to prevent hydrocarbon leaks and environmental contamination.”

The ship is owned by the Turkish company Mersin Shipping Inc. and managed by Besiktas Shipping, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group.

On Friday, Ukraine attacked two other Russian-linked tankers in the Black Sea, the MT Kairos and MT Virat, which belong to the shadow fleet transporting Russian crude oil.

From Monrovia Tadeusz Brzozowski (PAP)

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