Sea Baby Drones Hit Third Tanker of Russia’s Shadow Fleet in Black Sea

Sea Baby unmanned surface drones of Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU) struck the Russian shadow fleet’s tanker Dashan (IMO 9299666) in the Black Sea.

According to volunteer Serhiy Sternenko, the vessel was sailing under the flag of the Comoros and was moving through Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone toward the port terminal in Russian Novorossiysk.

The operation was carried out jointly by the SSU’s 13th Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence and the Ukrainian Navy.

The tanker was traveling at maximum speed with its transponder switched off, complicating its identification and tracking.

As a result of the strike, the Dashan sustained critical damage. According to preliminary information, the vessel is disabled and unable to continue its voyage. The Russian pro-war Telegram channel Rybar claimed the tanker was hit 160 km from Feodosia in occupied Crimea.

Dashan is a crude oil tanker built in 2005. It sails under the flag of the Comoros. The vessel is about 275 meters long, 50 meters wide, and has a draft of 15.7 meters. Its deadweight capacity exceeds 164,000 tons, allowing it to carry large volumes of oil.

Dashan is regularly recorded in the Mediterranean and Black seas. International organizations, including Greenpeace, classify the vessel as part of the “shadow fleet” transporting Russian oil.