Another Tanker Attacked as Türkiye Worries Over Black Sea Security

On Tuesday, Türkiye’s Directorate General for Maritime Affairs reported that a tanker traveling from Russia to Georgia was attacked approximately 80 miles (128.75 kilometers) off the Turkish coast.

It is the latest instance of spillover of the Russia-Ukraine conflict to the Black Sea, where Türkiye shares about a 1,700-kilometer border. Last week, two oil tankers were attacked off Türkiye’s Black Sea coast. Ukraine has acknowledged that it carried out the attacks, reportedly on Russian tankers, The Caspian Post reports citing Turkish media.

The directorate said the MIDVOLGA-2 tanker carrying sunflower oil reported the attack to Turkish authorities, though the source of the attack is not known at the time. Unconfirmed reports say the ship was Russian-flagged. “The ship did not issue a distress signal and all its 13 personnel were not affected. It is currently heading to Sinop,” the statement by the directorate on social media said. Sinop is Türkiye’s northernmost Black Sea province.

Referring to attacks on two commercial tankers in the Black Sea, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday that the Ukraine war appears to have reached a level that clearly threatens navigation safety in the Black Sea.

Targeting of merchant ships in Türkiye's Exclusive Economic Zone "signals a worrying escalation," the Turkish president stressed in remarks after a Cabinet meeting in Ankara.

Ankara cannot excuse attacks on its Exclusive Economic Zone, "which threaten navigation, life and environmental safety," he said.

Erdoğan said Türkiye is closely following the latest diplomatic efforts to end the war and consistently emphasizes that it stands ready to contribute whenever necessary.