Two sanctioned oil tankers were struck by explosions in the Black Sea off Turkey’s coast on Friday, triggering fires on board and prompting immediate rescue operations, according to Turkish maritime authorities.

The incidents occurred near the entrance to the Bosphorus, a key route for vessels carrying commodities from the region.

Turkey’s Transport Ministry reported that the 274-metre-long tanker Kairos suffered an explosion and subsequently caught fire while travelling from Egypt to Russia.

The vessel was about 28 nautical miles from the Turkish shoreline when it alerted authorities of what it described as an external impact before the fire broke out.

The ministry said two fast-rescue boats, a tug, and an emergency response vessel were sent to the site, and all 25 crew members were safely evacuated.

The country’s Directorate General for Maritime Affairs confirmed that a second vessel, the tanker Virat, was also struck further east, roughly 35 nautical miles offshore.

Officials reported that heavy smoke had been detected in the engine room, but all 20 personnel on board were in good condition, with rescue units and a nearby commercial ship deployed to assist.

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A port agent stated that early indications suggested the Kairos may have hit a mine and could be at risk of sinking. Mines have been a recurring hazard in the Black Sea since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with several drifting mines and vessel explosions reported in recent years.

Earlier this year, a number of unexplained blasts were also recorded on ships that had transported Russian oil outside the Black Sea. Both tankers are part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet and are subject to international sanctions.

The Kairos, a Suezmax tanker sailing under the flag of Gambia, is sanctioned by the United Kingdom and the European Union for carrying Russian oil, though it is not sanctioned by the United States.

Vessel-tracking data showed its previous voyage was from Novorossiysk to Paradip, India, carrying Urals crude before returning empty to load another cargo.

The Virat has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union, and had reportedly remained idle in the western Black Sea for much of the year after being added to the US OFAC blacklist on 10 January.

Attempts to contact the managers of the two vessels through details listed in maritime databases did not receive responses outside normal working hours.

Turkey’s maritime authorities confirmed that shipping traffic through the Bosphorus remained uninterrupted following the incidents.

Reference: Reuters