Türkiye Denounces Drone Strikes on Oil Tankers in Black Sea

(MENAFN) Türkiye has sharply criticized the recent drone assaults on two sanctioned oil tankers located near its Black Sea shoreline, attacks for which Ukraine has reportedly asserted responsibility.

Turkish authorities stated that the Gambian-flagged vessels Kairos and Virat were hit on Friday while heading toward the Russian harbor of Novorossiysk.

Both ships ignited, with at least one suffering structural damage, while their crews were successfully evacuated by the Turkish Coast Guard.

Several Ukrainian and Western news outlets reported that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) together with the Ukrainian Navy executed the operation using Sea Baby drones, the same type previously utilized against Russian naval assets.

Ankara denounced the assaults on Saturday without singling out any nation. “These incidents, which took place within our Exclusive Economic Zone in the Black Sea, have posed serious risks to navigation, human life, property, and the environment,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli stated on X.

Keceli further noted that Türkiye was engaging with all involved sides to “prevent the spread of war and further escalation in the Black Sea.”

The Kairos and the Virat have been blacklisted by Western governments for allegedly ferrying Russian oil in contravention of sanctions, an accusation Moscow rejects, insisting it does not operate a ‘shadow fleet’ to evade restrictions.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), responsible for transporting roughly 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports, announced on Saturday that it had halted activities after a mooring point at its Novorossiysk terminal sustained heavy damage from sea drones.

The consortium—whose stakeholders include the American firms Chevron and Exxon Mobil—characterized the incident as a “targeted terrorist attack.”

MENAFN30112025000045017167ID1110414407