Drone Attacks Tanker in the Black Sea En Route to Russia

A drone attacked an oil tanker in the Black Sea near the coast of Turkey. The ship was heading to Russia.

The attack took place on January 7, according to the Turkish newspaper Ortadoğu.

The tanker, ELBUS, sailing under the flag of Palau, was about 30 miles off the coast of the Abana district in Turkey’s Kastamonu Province at the time of the attack.

The vessel was en route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, where it was expected to load oil.

Reports indicate that the upper part of the tanker was damaged in the attack. However, no crew members were reportedly injured.

The vessel is currently anchored near the Turkish city of İnebolu, which it reached under its own power.

Data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) show that after the attack, the tanker ELBUS sharply changed course and turned toward the Turkish coast.

The ELBUS tanker was built in 2005. It is designed to transport large volumes of crude oil. The vessel is nearly 275 meters long and 48 meters wide. Its full deadweight capacity is almost 160,000 tons.