Black Sea, a Turkish oil tanker loaded with crude oil attacked

One oil tanker loaded with crude oil, owned by a Turkish company based in Istanbulwas attached in the early hours of Thursday about 14 miles from the Bosphorus. The Turkish media reported it.

Details about the ship and the attack

The ship ‘Height’belonging to the Pergamon Shipping company, was left from Russia and was hit, according to initial reconstructions, by both a drone or from an autonomous surface vehicle. The tanker, registered under the Turkish company Pergamon Denizcilik, had left the Russian port of Novorossiysk, located on the north-eastern coast of the Black Sea.

The vessel, which was carrying around 140,000 tonnes of oil, was attacked during the night about 14 miles from the Bosphorus.

Sanctions and ship classification

According to available information, the vessel is subject to European Union sanctions and classified as a so-called ‘shadow fleet’ unit on the MarineTraffic platform.

Damage and rescue operations

The damage would have affected the upper part of the hull and the engine room. Having sent a distress signal, she was assisted by the Erdek ship which was nearby. From radio communications it emerged that the engine room was taking on water, but no injuries were reported. The Rescue 11 and Rescue 12 rescue units of the Turkish Coastal Safety General Directorate intervened on site, together with the fast patrol boat Coastal Safety 5.

History and changes of ownership

According to the Turkish specialist site Haber Denizde, the tanker previously operated in the Besiktas Maritime fleet under the name ‘Besiktas Dardanelles’. Subsequently, in May 2024, the vessel was acquired by the Panama-based Kayseri Shipping company, entering the fleet under the name ‘Kayseri’. In November 2025 the vessel was finally purchased by Istanbul-based Pergamon Maritime and renamed ‘Altura’.

International sanctions

The tanker, with a deadweight capacity of 163,750 tonnes, was subsequently subject to a series of international sanctions. It was placed on the European Union sanctions list on 24 October 2025, followed by Switzerland and Ukraine on 13 December 2025 and the United Kingdom on 24 February 2026.

People involved and connections

According to sanctions announcements, Hector Varela De Leon, founder of Kayseri Shipping, was blacklisted by the United States in July 2025. The company was also linked to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who was killed by Israel in February 2026.