Three oil tankers calling at Russian ports have been damaged by explosions in the Mediterranean over the past month.

Shipping and security sources told Reuters that these are the first cases of non-military vessels being damaged by explosions in the central Mediterranean in a decade.

One incident occurred on February 15 in a port in northern Italy. The explosion caused a meter-long hole in the hull of the Greek oil tanker Seajewel below the waterline.

Another explosion occurred 20 minutes later, but it did not cause any additional damage. At the time of the explosion, the vessel was anchored in front of the port of Savona Vado.

Another explosion at the end of January damaged the oil tanker Seacharm, operated by Thenamaris. The incident took place near the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan.

The third case was recorded in February off the coast of Libya. The Liberian-flagged Grace Ferrum tanker carrying chemicals and oil products was damaged.

According to maritime monitoring services and sources, all three vessels had recently called at Russian ports.

Destruction of Russian vessels

On December 24, it was reported that another Russian bulk carrier participating in the “Syrian Express,” Ursa Major, sank off the coast of Spain after an explosion.

It is reported that the vessel sank in international waters in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, between the Spanish city of Aguillas and the Algerian city of Oran.

On December 23, at 12:30 local time, an explosion was recorded on board in the engine room, causing the ship to roll.

The area of the accident was marked as dangerous for navigation.

A rescue operation was organized at the accident site. It involved several ships in the vicinity, as well as the Spanish rescue vessel Clara Campoamor and a Spanish Navy patrol boat.