A vessel that was loaded with Russian oil was targeted by an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) near the northern entrance of the Bosporus Strait, said a Turkish minister on Thursday. The vessel was identified as the Sierra Leone-flagged Suezmax Altura, which was carrying around 27 crew members.ย
The attack caused damage to the vessel’s bridge and the engine room, but none of its crew members sustained injuries. Speaking to a local media channel, Turkey’s Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the attack was directed at the engine room of the vessel and it aimed at “completely disabling the ship”.
Following the attack, Turkish officials sent another vessel, Nene Hatun, and other units for a rescue operation, the Turkish transport minister said, adding that the government is monitoring the situation and will take appropriate actions accordingly.
“We believe it was not a drone attack, but an unmanned underwater vehicle,” Uraloglu said, as reported by various media outlets. “It was an externally caused explosion, a deliberate attack specifically aimed at disabling the ship’s engine room. None of the 27 Turkish crew members sustained any health problems or injuries.”
The Russia-Ukraine factor
Since December last year, Tรผrkiye has faced such security issues due to the war between Russia and Ukraine that broke out in February 2022. Tรผrkiye has had good relations with both Ukraine and Russia, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cautioning that the Black Sea can become an “area of confrontation” between Kyiv and Moscow.
Erdogan had also raised the issue with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, calling for a “limited ceasefire” over the attacks on energy infrastructure and ports. After the meeting, he had asserted that peace was not “far away”.
“The Black Sea should not be seen as an area of confrontation. This would not benefit Russia or Ukraine. Everyone needs safe navigation in the Black Sea,” he had said, as reported by Arab News.
Coming to the Iran war, the conflict has entered its fourth week, but no side has agreed to backdown. On Thursday, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy commander, Alireza Tangsiri, was also killed in an Israeli strike in Bandar Abbas, along the Strait of Hormuz. The development came amid Iran’s warning that it will block the crucial waterway.ย
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