Ukraine’s General Staff said the sanctioned oil tanker Marquise (IMO 9315745), under international sanctions transporting Russian oil, was attacked April 29 in an operation involving two unmanned surface vessels.
Ukraine’s General Staff said the vessel was hit while drifting with its AIS signal off about 210 kilometers, or 130 miles, southeast of Tuapse in Russia’s Krasnodar Region. The vessel was not carrying cargo, and Ukrainian officials believe the Marquise was waiting to receive an oil transfer from another ship.
The strikes hit the tanker’s stern, near its propeller-rudder system, and its engine room. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.
The Marquise, which currently sails under the flag of Cameroon, is on sanctions lists maintained by the European Union, the UK, Ukraine, Switzerland and Canada.
Data from the vessel tracking platform Starboard Maritime Intelligence reviewed by The Insider confirm that the Marquise is in the Black Sea. The tanker’s recorded route shows its AIS signal disappeared from time to time, transmitted clearly false coordinates or was jammed by electronic warfare systems.
Late last year, Russia-linked vessels were attacked in the Black and Caspian seas. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) later claimed responsibility for attacks on the “shadow fleet.”
A large fire has burned at the Tuapse oil refinery for two weeks after repeated Ukrainian drone attacks targeting the Rosneft-run facility. “Black rain” — precipitation mixed with residue from burning oil — has fallen in the city, and all schools and kindergartens have been closed.
Top health official Anna Popova claimed earlier today that there are “no health risks” for local residents despite measurements from her own agency, consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, indicating elevated concentrations of harmful substances such as benzene in the air.
