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Reports from Turkey are indicating that three shadow fleet tankers that had transited into the Black Sea came under attack on Thursday, May 28. One of the vessels, which was underway, appears to have sustained damage, while the drones targeting two anchored tankers appeared to fail to explode.
Suspicion immediately centered on forces from Ukraine, although no one has taken credit for the attacks. Ukraine has attacked several tankers in the same area north of the Bosphorus Strait. The tanker that was underway was reported to have been approximately 45 miles from the strait, while the other two were anchored just 20 miles from the strait near the Turkish coast.
Turkish officials told the local media that the vessels were all empty, traveling only with ballast, preventing an environmental problem. None of the crews were reported injured, and a Turkish patrol boat was reported to be surveying the area.
The tanker that was underway is being identified by the Turkish shipping agency Tribeca as the James II (150,000 dwt), a tanker sanctioned by the UK. The vessel is displaying a message of "not under command" or drifting on its AIS. The vessel is listed as being managed from India and claiming registry in Palau, although Equasis lists the flag as unknown. The AIS signal indicates the ship was coming from India.
(Video reported to show two unexplored drones near the tanker anchorage and under the hull of one of the vessels)
Tribeca reports that the tankers Altura(163,750 dwt) and Velora (163,750 dwt) were both anchored. Both are reported as being registered in Sierra Leone, although Equasis lists the Altura's flag as false since November 2025. Both tankers are managed by companies in Turkey and are sanctioned by the UK and EU.
Unconfirmed media reports are saying that the drones were marked with the wording for "police" that were used to target the Altura and Velora. Russian media reports are blaming the Ukrainian Navy for the attacks.
Today's incidents come just days after Russian officials reported that they found magnetic mines attached to the hull of an LPG carrier arriving in the Baltic port of Ust-Luga. While Ukraine has attacked individual tankers in the past, recently it has been focusing on Russian oil terminals both in the Baltic and Black Sea.
Ukraine increased its attacks on the Russian energy export infrastructure after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices soaring, and the Trump administration provided sanctions waivers for the purchase of Russian oil. Ukraine spoke of the need to interrupt Russia's energy revenues.
Fuente: Maritime Executive
