26.03.2026 11:10
An explosion occurred on the Altura oil tanker 15 miles off the Istanbul Strait in the Black Sea. The development, which took place during the ongoing war, caused a significant stir, while the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, stated, "There was an explosion in the engine room. We believe it was hit by an unmanned surface vehicle (USV), and our technical teams have been dispatched to the scene. It was done intentionally to completely disable the ship."
An explosion occurred on the tanker named ALTURA, carrying 140,000 tons of oil, which departed from Russia.
THE TANKER STARTED TAKING ON WATER
A large explosion took place in the Black Sea. Damage occurred on the bridge of the tanker. It was reported that the tanker was taking on water from the engine room.
COAST GUARD IMMEDIATELY INTERVENED
After a request for emergency assistance, the Coast Guard dispatched the comprehensive emergency response vessel Nene Hatun, used for such situations, to the scene.
STRIKING WORDS FROM MINISTER URALOĞLU ON LIVE BROADCAST
While the incident that occurred during the ongoing war caused a significant stir, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu made evaluations regarding the incident on a private television channel.
"WE BELIEVE THE ENGINE ROOM WAS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED"
Minister Uraloğlu stated, "We do not yet know the owner of the foreign-flagged vessel that loaded crude oil from Russia, but there was an explosion in the engine room of a ship operated by a Turkish company after midnight. I can say that our main emergency search and rescue center was notified, and the necessary elements of our coast guard were dispatched. We believe that the explosion in the engine room was specifically targeted at the engine room. We think this could have been done with an unmanned marine vehicle. It is not a drone attack. Our technical teams have been directed to the scene. They will determine in the coming hours. Accordingly, we will make a clearer statement, but it is an externally sourced explosion. It was deliberately done to completely incapacitate the ship."
"THE HEALTH STATUS OF 27 TURKISH CREW IS GOOD"
Regarding whether the attack was related to the Russia-Ukraine war, he said: "Currently, it appears that there is potential for such a thing. It is a ship carrying oil. It is not a dry cargo ship. Therefore, we can say that the risk in this regard is high. The ship carries oil, crude oil. But the entire crew is Turkish. We have 27 personnel there. There are no health problems. There are no injuries. But we have already directed the necessary elements to the scene. We are monitoring."
NENE HATUN VESSEL
The Nene Hatun Emergency Response Vessel is the largest and most comprehensive emergency response, search and rescue, and firefighting vessel in Turkey's seas, under the General Directorate of Coast Safety.
The vessel is used for ship salvage, towing, accommodating victims (with a 20-bed hospital) in the straits and open sea, diving operations up to 100 meters, combating oil pollution, and transportation with a helicopter pad.