Alex Longley of Bloomberg reports that four oil tankers have been hit by explosions this year after visiting Russia’s waters, with no group claiming responsibility. The attacks, occurring in the Mediterranean and Baltic, are under investigation by Greek and Italian authorities. While the blasts appear deliberate, experts caution it’s too soon to assign blame, highlighting increased risks for tankers transporting Russian oil amid ongoing tensions.
At least four oil tankers have been hit with explosions so far this year — all of them having visited Russia’s territorial waters in the weeks prior to the blasts happening.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the incidents, three of which have happened in the Mediterranean and one in the Baltic, and shipping industry officials say it would be premature to blame Ukraine. Kyiv hasn’t claimed responsibility and Greek and Italian authorities have launched investigations. There have also been other incidents involving Russian ships so far this year.
“All the indications are that these have been deliberately orchestrated, but it’s with a significant degree of sophistication,” said Munro Anderson, head of operations at Vessel Protect, a major war-risk insurer of ships. “So, the big question that leads to is: ‘by who?’” […]
The biggest cargo ship in the Russian military’s logistics fleet also sank in the Mediterranean late last year after an explosion in its engine room. Moscow described what happened as a terrorist attack. […]
“We are aware of the incidents where some ships trading to and from Russian ports have experienced explosions resulting in hull damages,” said Jakob P. Larsen, chief safety and security Officer at Bimco. “We are in close dialogue with authorities to learn more about the incidents and improve our understanding of the potential implications to the supply chains.”
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