Istanbul, Dec 1: A Russian-backed tanker, the 'Virat', was attacked by an unmanned vessel off Turkey's Black Sea coast, Turkey said on Saturday.
The 'Virat' was attacked by unmanned vessels about 35 miles off the Black Sea. It was reported to have been attacked again by unmanned vessels this morning.
The 'Virat' suffered minor damage after the attack but is in a stable condition and the crew are healthy, the Turkish Transport Ministry said in a statement.
The 'Virat' suffered minor damage to its starboard side in the waterway. It was not immediately clear who was behind the reported attacks, the ministry said.
Another boat explodes
Separately, Turkish authorities are continuing efforts to extinguish and cool down another tanker bound for Russia that caught fire after an explosion in the Black Sea. The ministry said rescue teams evacuated 25 crew members from the 274-meter-long Kairos after the fire.
On Friday, Turkey said it had reported that the Kairos had caught fire from an “external impact” 28 nautical miles off the Turkish coast while it was en route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
According to LSEG data, both the Kairos and the Virat are on a list of ships subject to sanctions imposed against Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.