Third tanker carrying Russian oil suffers damage in explosions at sea
Explosions have damaged the Mersin, an oil tanker linked to Russia, off the coast of Senegal in West Africa.
Source: Bloomberg, citing a statement from Turkish company Besiktas Shipping
Details: This is the third incident in a week involving tankers transporting Russian oil products.
Besiktas Shipping said seawater entered the Mersin's engine room due to explosions and a breach in the hull.
The tanker's crew are safe and there has been no environmental pollution. The vessel remains safe and stable.
Besiktas said it was supporting an investigation into the cause of the explosions and working with insurers and the Senegalese authorities to deal with the aftermath of the incident.
Shipping analytics firm Kpler reported that the vessel was carrying gasoil – a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons produced from oil refining – and has called at Russian ports several times this year.
Background:
- Two sanctioned tankers were reported to have caught fire on Friday in the Black Sea off the coast of Türkiye as a result of external strikes.
- The two tankers, which belonged to Russia's shadow fleet, were blown up in a special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).
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