Turkish Oil Tanker Attacked by Drones in Bosphorus Strait
A Turkish oil tanker, the Altura, was attacked by drones in the Bosphorus Strait on March 26, according to reports from Turkish media outlets.
The vessel, owned by Pergamon Shipping, had departed from Russia and was reportedly struck by both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned surface vessels (USVs). The tanker, which carried 140,000 tons of oil, received the attack around 12:30 pm, approximately 14 miles from the Bosphorus.
The ship, which has been sanctioned by the European Union and classified as a “Shadow Fleet” vessel by MarineTraffic, was hit on its upper deck and engine room. The Turkish Minister of Transportation confirmed the incident.
Turkish Minister Confirms Attack
Meanwhile, Turkish Minister of Transportation Abdulkanter Uraloglu confirmed that an oil tanker under foreign flag but Turkish management was targeted by drones in the Black Sea near Istanbul on March 26.
The minister stated during a live broadcast on 24TV that the ship’s engine room was the apparent target and that all 27 Turkish crew members on board at the time of the incident were unharmed. He also noted that authorities dispatched forces to the scene, and the situation is being closely monitored.
Previous Incidents
Turkey has been a witness to a series of similar security incidents connected to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning against turning the Black Sea into a “battlefield” between warring parties.
Distress Call and Rescue Efforts
The Altura issued a distress call and received assistance from nearby ship Erdek. According to radio communications, the engine room suffered water ingress, but no injuries were reported. Rescue vessels 11 and 12 of Turkey’s General Directorate of Coastal Safety, as well as Coast Guard 5, rushed to the scene.
Tanker History
The Altura has a history of connections with Iran. According to Turkish maritime news agency Haber Denizde, the ship previously operated under the Besiktas Maritime flag as Besiktas Dardanelles. It was later acquired by Kayseri Shipping in May 2024 and joined their fleet as Kayseri. In November 2025, the vessel was purchased by Pergamon Maritime, based in Istanbul, and renamed Altura.
The tanker’s capacity of 163,750 deadweight tons (dwt) has since faced successive European sanctions. Specifically, it was listed on the EU’s sanctions list on October 24, 2025, followed by Switzerland and Ukraine on December 13, 2025, and the United Kingdom on February 24, 2026.
Notably, Kayseri Shipping founder Ector Varela De Leon was also listed on the US sanctions list in July 2025. Additionally, the company is owned by Mohammad Hosein Sahmani, son of Ali Sahmani, the general secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who was assassinated by Israel in February 2026.
Original Article: Επίθεση με drones κατά τουρκικού πετρελαιοφόρου κοντά στα Στενά του Βοσπόρου — Tribune (Greek) | View English Translation