ISTANBUL, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye said that a foreign-flagged but Turkish-operated crude oil tanker was likely targeted by an unmanned surface vehicle (USV), or sea drone, on Thursday morning in the Black Sea off Istanbul.
"We believe that the engine room was specifically targeted. We think that it was not an aerial drone attack, but an attack carried out at the water level with a USV," Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a televised statement.
He described the incident as an "external explosion" intended to "completely disable the ship."
The tanker, which was transporting 140,000 tons of crude oil from Novorossiysk, Russia, was approximately 24 km off the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait when the strike occurred. The impact caused significant damage to the vessel's bridge and resulted in water ingress in the engine room.
"The entire crew is Turkish; there are no health problems or injuries among the 27 personnel," Uraloglu said.
Uraloglu added that technical teams have been dispatched to the site to conduct a detailed investigation into the nature of the explosive device.
No environmental leaks or oil spills have been reported following the incident. ■
