Turkish oil tanker hit by drone and unmanned ship simultaneously near Bosphorus Strait near Istanbul. The vessel was under European sanctions
A Turkish oil tanker carrying 140,000 tonnes of oil was attacked on Thursday night just 14 miles from the Bosphorus Strait, hit simultaneously by a drone and an unmanned vessel.
Oil tanker attacked with drones PHOTO: telegram
The oil tanker Altura, belonging to the Turkish company Pergamon Denizcilik Isletmeleri AS, departed from the Russian port of Novorossiysk, located on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea. The vessel, which was carrying 140,000 tons of oil, was attacked around 00:30, about 14 miles from the Bosphorus, turkiyetoday writes.
The tanker, which is under European Union sanctions and is classified as a “Shadow Fleet” vessel on MarineTraffic, was reportedly struck by both a drone and an unmanned surface vessel.
According to the cited source, following the attack, damage was recorded in the upper part of the ship and in the engine room. No casualties were reported.
Distress call issued, rescue vessels sent The tanker Altura issued a distress call and was assisted by the nearby vessel Erdek.
Oil tanker previously changed hands: links to Iran?
According to Turkish maritime news publication Haber Denizde, the tanker previously operated in the Besiktas Maritime fleet under the name Besiktas Dardanelles.
The vessel was later acquired by Panama-based Kayseri Shipping in May 2024 and added to the fleet under the name Kayseri. In November 2025, the vessel was purchased by Istanbul-based Pergamon Maritime and renamed Altura.
The 163,750 ton capacity tanker was subsequently successively subjected to European sanctions.
The vessel was added to the European Union sanctions list on 24 October 2025, followed by Switzerland and Ukraine on 13 December 2025, and the United Kingdom on 24 February 2026.
