An explosion struck a sanctioned Russian-linked tanker off the Turkish coast on Friday, triggering a large-scale rescue operation for the 25 crew members aboard, Türkiye’s Maritime Affairs Directorate said.

The blast reportedly hit the empty tanker Kairos, which was en route to Russia’s Novorossiysk port when it suffered a severe impact approximately 28 nautical miles off the Turkish shore.

At the same time, reports emerged that a second tanker — the Virat — was also hit by a blast further east in the Black Sea, raising concerns over broader risks to maritime traffic in the region.

The Turkish Maritime Affairs Directorate announced that rescue tugboats and coast guard vessels were dispatched immediately after the explosion. Some crew members were evacuated by a nearby ship, while others awaited evacuation at sea. The directorate said that those on board the Kairos are in “good condition.”

Authorities are also investigating the cause of the explosion. Initial reports from the shipping agency Tribeca Shipping Agency suggest that the vessel may have struck a naval mine, and warned the tanker could be in danger of sinking.

Both Kairos and Virat are listed among ships under sanctions imposed on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine — a designation that already complicates their legal and insurance status.

The Kairos was reported to be “in ballast” (empty of cargo) and sailing under the Gambian flag at the time of the incident.

Despite the explosion, maritime traffic through the nearby straits and Black Sea lanes continues. However, shipping agencies cautioned operators to maintain heightened vigilance, warning of possible residual hazards such as floating debris or further unexploded ordnance.

Authorities have not yet confirmed whether there are any environmental hazards, such as oil spillage, although emergency response teams remain on alert.

The incident has triggered alarm among neighboring littoral states, already wary of the spill-over effects from the war in Ukraine. Analysts say that recent surges in naval mine deployments and covert sabotage efforts across the Black Sea — though difficult to verify — pose increasing risks to civilian and commercial shipping routes.

The event underscores growing concerns that vessels tied to the so-called “shadow fleet” — privately held or sanctions-targeted ships attempting to circumvent export restrictions — may increasingly become targets, whether by design or accident. (ILKHA)