Two tankers were hit in the Black Sea today, causing them to catch fire, Turkish authorities said, and reports indicate that the crew members of both ships are safe.
In the OpenSanctions database, which tracks individuals or organizations involved in sanctions evasion, the two tankers are described as part of Russia's "shadow fleet," a term for ships Moscow uses to evade sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
Turkish authorities said the Kairos tanker, which was sailing empty under the Gambian flag to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, caught fire 45 kilometers off the coast of the Turkish province of Kocaeli. Turkish authorities blamed the fire on "external influence," without giving details.
About an hour later, Turkish authorities said a second tanker, the Virat, had been hit in the Black Sea, 65 kilometers off the Turkish coast. They gave no further details.
Turkish authorities said all 20 crew members of the Virat were safe, although thick smoke was reported in the engine room.
Kocaeli Provincial Governor Ilhami Aktas said that all 25 crew members of the Kairos were safely evacuated.
Aktas would not comment on what caused the fires, or whether the tankers might have been hit by sea mines, but said authorities would issue a "clearer statement" once the investigation was complete.
The US placed the tanker "Virat" on its "blacklist" in January, followed by the European Union (EU), Switzerland, the UK and Canada, according to data from the OpenSanctions website. The tanker "Kairos" has been under sanctions by the EU, the UK and Switzerland since this summer.
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