Drone strikes target three tankers in escalating Black Sea tensions

Three tankers have reportedly been struck by drones in the Black Sea off Turkey’s northern coastline, marking a new escalation in security incidents affecting commercial shipping near the approaches to the Bosphorus Strait. 
According to shipping agency Tribeca, the attacks occurred on Thursday in international waters north of the Turkeli area. All three vessels were in ballast condition at the time of the incidents, and no injuries were reported among the crews. 
The first vessel targeted was the James II, a Suezmax tanker built in 2002, sailing under the Palau flag and linked to India-based Gama Link Tech Services. Tribeca reported that the ship was hit in its engine room approximately 50 miles north of Turkeli and around 47 miles from the Bosphorus. The vessel had 20 crew members on board at the time of the strike. 
Two other Suezmax tankers, Altura and Velora, were also reportedly attacked in a nearby area while engaged in a ship-to-ship transfer operation. Both vessels are flagged in Sierra Leone and are managed by Turkish operator Pergamon Denizcilik Isletmeleri. 
Turkish coastal safety units were sent to help after the incidents and authorities said all crew members were safe. 
Neither Russia nor Ukraine has so far admitted responsibility for the attacks. 
The latest incidents add to growing concerns over maritime security in the Black Sea, where commercial traffic continues to operate amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, now in its fourth year. Since the full-scale invasion in 2022, ports, merchant vessels and energy infrastructure across the region have repeatedly been targeted. 
The Altura (formerly Kayseri) had previously been linked to a similar incident earlier this year. On March 26, the tanker — identified by Western authorities as part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet — was reportedly struck by a drone or unmanned maritime vehicle around 15 miles off the Bosphorus coast. 
The vessel is currently sanctioned by both the European Union and the United Kingdom as part of broader measures targeting Russian oil exports and non-compliant tanker networks. 
Ankara has repeatedly issued warnings to both Moscow and Kyiv, urging restraint in military activity near Turkish waters after previous strikes disrupted shipping routes and damaged merchant vessels in the Black Sea.