Minister: Turkish Oil Tanker Attacked by Unmanned Vessel in Black Sea

Moscow (ANTARA) - Turkey’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, said on Thursday that the Altura tanker, which was loading crude oil, was attacked in the Black Sea by an unmanned vessel, most likely not by an unmanned aerial vehicle. Earlier on the same day, Turkish media reported that an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacked the Altura tanker in the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey. As a result, the Altura ship sustained damage, and the crew requested assistance. “No, we are not talking about a UAV; most likely, the attack was carried out by an unmanned vessel and deliberately directed at the engine room to disable the ship,” Uraloglu said. Experts will determine what actually happened; in any case, an explosion was recorded after an external impact. There are no health issues with the crew; they are all Turkish citizens. We have sent specialists to the scene of the incident.