Drones attacked three tankers off the northern coast of Turkey, Reuters reported on Thursday, May 28, citing shipping company Tribeca. According to the agency, the tanker James II, sailing under the flag of Palau, was attacked 80 km north of the Türkeli district in the Black Sea. The tankers Altura and Velora, sailing under the flag of Sierra Leone, were also hit. It is specified that they were attacked during ship-to-ship cargo transfer.
The Turkish Coast Guard dispatched its boats to the scene to assist. According to Reuters, no one was injured in the attacks.
Tankers called at Russian ports and are on sanctions lists
All three vessels are under sanctions from the UK and several other countries for belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet." They are "engaged in the transport of oil or oil products of Russian origin from Russia to a third country" and thereby participate in activities aimed at destabilizing Ukraine, undermining its territorial integrity and sovereignty, according to the UK government website.
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and vessel tracking services, these tankers called at Russian ports, including Primorsk, Ust-Luga, and Novorossiysk. Neither Ukraine nor Russia has officially commented on the attacks on the tankers.
Russia's "shadow fleet" and tanker detentions in Europe
Russia's "shadow fleet" numbers about 1,500 tankers — often outdated models using flags of convenience to circumvent Western sanctions. About 600 of them are already under sanctions from the EU, UK, and US, imposed since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. These vessels are also suspected of involvement in hybrid attacks against Western countries on behalf of Russian authorities, such as damage to underwater cables in the Baltic Sea.
In January 2026, 14 European countries demanded that tankers in the Baltic and North Seas sail under the flag of a single state to stop the practice of flag-switching. Vessels suspected of belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet" have been detained by the authorities of Sweden, France, and Belgium.
