A Turkish oil tanker, Altura, was struck by a drone approximately 15 nautical miles (28 km) from the Bosporus Strait near Istanbul, NTV reported Thursday, adding that all 27 crew members are safe.
The Sierra Leone-flagged tanker had departed from the Russian port of Novorossiysk carrying roughly one million barrels of crude oil, according to ship-tracking data. The vessel is under sanctions from the European Union and the United Kingdom.
NTV reported that an explosion occurred on board the Turkish-owned Besiktas tanker when it was hit by the drone in the Black Sea, causing the engine room to start flooding.
The tanker requested assistance, after which the Turkish Coast Guard and an emergency response vessel were dispatched to the scene. No injuries have been reported.
