TASS reported on August 18 that a Ukrainian drone attacked the Greek-flagged oil tanker Skiros operating in the Black Sea, after the ship received oil at the port of Novorossiysk (Russia) on August 16.
A Greek television channel has released a video recording the attack showing a drone conducting a reconnaissance flight at sea, then crashing into the command deck on the deck. The fire broke out immediately after the collision, but it is unclear whether any crew members were injured.
According to this channel, the attack is believed to be carried out by unmanned aerial vehicles under the control of the Ukrainian side. Recently, this force has carried out many similar attacks targeting oil tankers receiving goods from the above-mentioned Russian port.
Some other sources said that the Greek oil tanker was attacked in the Black Sea after receiving a shipment originating from Russia. The Suezmax class ship, with a capacity of about 1 million barrels of oil, was attacked after loading goods at the Caspian Pipeline Complex (CPC) wharf near Novorossiysk, sources familiar with the situation told the company. The incident occurred near the port area.
This is the first attack targeting a ship near the CPC port - the most important route for Kazakhstan's oil exports - after nearly 3 weeks of suspension. Last month, successive drone strikes disrupted the CPC's cargo handling operations, a route that has accounted for nearly 2% of global oil supplies recently, forcing oil and gas companies operating in Kazakhstan to cut production.
The operating unit of the Greek ship Skiros said that no one was injured in the incident and no oil spills were recorded. The ship owner was aware of the attack but declined to comment further.
