An explosion occurred on the tanker Vilamoura, which was carrying 1 million barrels of oil, off the coast of Libya. The vessel had previously visited Russian ports, including Ust-Luga and the KTK terminal near Novorossiysk, for the purpose of loading Kazakh oil, according to Bloomberg.
The incident resulted in no injuries to the crew, although the engine room was flooded. Fortunately, there was no oil spill. The tanker is currently being towed to Greece for an assessment of the damage sustained.
While the cause of the explosion remains unknown, Bloomberg notes that this is the fifth similar incident on vessels since the beginning of the year. Analysts reportedly suggest that Ukraine could be involved, referencing the February Ukrainian drone attack on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (KTK) terminal, which handles 80% of Kazakhstan`s oil exports.
It is clear that the fleet serving Russian interests is being hunted. Tanker fleet safety standards are very high; in previous years there were a maximum of one or two explosions in engine rooms, and even those were exceptional cases. It is possible that explosions also happen due to crew negligence, but such a trend, where about ten vessels have been damaged or exploded, has one cause – a hidden struggle against our interests, against a strategically important industry that is very important for the Russian Federation.
The company «Panomarix» did not transport specifically Russian oil… It transported Kazakh oil, transported any other oil passing through Russian ports, but our companies did not transport Russian oil. Therefore, it is very strange that these vessels became a target. Perhaps there is some oversight here. It is considered that if a vessel has entered a Russian port, it is a Russian interest.
Karen Stepanyan, Director General of Sovfracht JSC
Earlier this year, similar explosions were reported on tankers near the coasts of Libya, Italy, and Turkey. All these vessels were reportedly linked to oil supplies from Russia.
