Oil Tanker Hit by Suspected USV in Black Sea Near Bosphorus

A Turkish-operated oil tanker carrying approximately one million barrels of Russian crude was struck by a suspected unmanned surface vehicle in the Black Sea early on March 26, 2026, leaving the vessel disabled but with all crew members unharmed. The incident occurred about 15 nautical miles north of the Bosphorus Strait, near Istanbul, just outside Turkey's territorial waters.

The tanker, named Altura and flying the Sierra Leone flag, had departed from Russia's Novorossiysk port on March 23, bound for Istanbul with a full load of around 140,000 metric tonnes of Urals crude oil. Ship-tracking data showed the 274-meter vessel drifting after the attack, which Turkish officials described as an externally caused explosion targeting the engine room. The blast caused flooding and damage to the deck and bridge, rendering the ship not under command and moving at a minimal speed of 0.2 knots.

Turkey's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu confirmed the details in statements to local media. "It appears to be an externally caused explosion, particularly directed at the engine room, with the aim of completely disabling the ship," Uraloğlu said. He indicated authorities...