Turkish oil tanker hit in the Black Sea! First statement from Minister Uraloğlu

An attack was carried out at approximately 00:30 last night, 14 miles from the Bosphorus, on a foreign-flagged, Turkish-operated oil tanker—formerly named Beşiktaş Dardanelles and now named Altura—while it was en route from Russia to Liverpool. Following the explosion in the ship's engine room, the Kurtarma-11 and Kurtarma-12 vessels belonging to the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, along with a fast boat and the Kıyı Emniyeti-5 team, were dispatched to the scene. The 27 Turkish crew members on board were rescued unharmed.

Upon the emergency distress call from the tanker, the General Directorate of Coastal Safety and Coast Guard teams were directed to the region. Additionally, the Nene Hatun emergency response vessel was dispatched to the scene.

It was announced that audio recordings of the distress call made from the ship after the attack have emerged, in which it was stated that no one among the crew was injured, the ship was taking on water, and emergency assistance was requested.

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdülkadir Uraloğlu made statements regarding the ship that suffered an explosion off the Black Sea coast last night during a television program he attended.

Emphasizing that the explosion was an externally sourced and deliberate attack, Uraloğlu stated the following:

"An explosion occurred in the engine room of a foreign-flagged, Turkish-operated ship that had loaded crude oil from Russia, after midnight. Following the notification to our main emergency search and rescue center, coastal safety and coast guard units were dispatched there. We believe that the engine room was specifically targeted in the explosion; this may have been carried out by an unmanned surface vehicle. It is not a drone attack. Our technical teams are currently heading there and will determine the details in the coming hours. What we can say clearly for now is that it was an externally sourced explosion. It was a deliberate attack specifically on the engine room to disable the ship. Since it is a ship carrying oil, there is a high probability that the attack was carried out due to the Russia-Ukraine war. All of the crew are Turkish, and there are no injuries or health problems. We have directed all necessary units to the scene; we are monitoring the situation."

News Source: 12punto