The tanker Vilamoura, carrying 1 million barrels of oil, exploded off the coast of Libya. The vessel had recently docked at Russian ports.
This was reported by Bloomberg, as cited by Censor.NET.
The Vilamoura is currently being towed to Greece, where the damage will be assessed upon arrival.
According to a spokesperson for TMS Tankers, water began to enter the tanker following the explosion, flooding the engine room. The exact cause of the explosion remains unknown, the company added.
The agency noted that in recent months, a series of mysterious explosions has occurred on oil tankers that had previously docked at Russian ports. As a result, shipowners began inspecting their vessels’ hulls for mines using divers and underwater drones.
According to Bloomberg, the Vilamoura visited the Russian port of Ust-Luga in April, where it loaded Kazakh—not Russian—oil.
In May, the vessel was also at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal near the port of Novorossiysk, which primarily exports oil from Kazakhstan.
According to maritime risk consultancy Vanguard Tech, explosions have occurred on four other vessels since the beginning of the year. All of them had recently called at Russian ports.
