In the early hours of March 26 local time, the Turkish oil tanker “ALTURA” was reportedly attacked by a drone in the Black Sea, approximately 15 miles from the Bosphorus Strait.

The vessel was en route to Turkey from Russia with a cargo of approximately 140,000 metric tons of crude oil.

The attack triggered a violent explosion, damaging the ship’s superstructure—including the bridge—and causing water to flood the engine room.

After receiving the vessel’s distress signal, the Turkish Coast Guard Command immediately dispatched coast guard units and a multi-purpose emergency response vessel to the scene to handle the situation.

There are 27 Turkish crew members on board, and no casualties have been reported so far.