On the morning of December 2, a tanker sailing from Russia to Georgia was attacked near the Turkish coast, marking the latest in a series of assaults on Russia-linked tankers, primarily in the Black Sea. These incidents underscore a sharp escalation in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Last week, two vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet, the Kairos and the Virat, were struck by blasts in the Black Sea near the Bosporus on November 28, prompting large-scale rescue operations. Both attacks occurred within Turkey’s economic zone as the ships headed toward Russian ports around Novorossiysk to load oil.
The Kairos suffered an explosion near the Bosporus while en route from Port Said to Novorossiysk. Wood Mackenzie’s last tracked voyage for the Kairos showed the vessel carrying Urals crude from Novorossiysk to Paradip, India, in October.
Fire broke out in enclosed sections, triggering the deployment of rescue boats. All 25 crew members were evacuated safely. Thirty minutes later, the Virat was attacked. The Virat had been scheduled to load fuel oil via ship-to-ship transfer offshore Kavkaz before the incident.
Both vessels belong to a fleet targeted for transporting Russian oil under post-2022 sanctions. These attacks highlight mounting risks for shadow fleet operations in contested waters.
Separately, reports emerged last week of an attack on another Russia-linked tanker near Dakar, Senegal.
