Overview
- Lloyd's List Intelligence reported the Elbus experienced an unmanned marine-vehicle and drone attack that targeted its engine room, with no injuries or pollution and 25 crew onboard.
- Marinetraffic data showed the vessel diverting from its course to Novorossiysk and anchoring off the northern Turkish port of Inebolu under its own power.
- Turkish authorities dispatched coastguard teams following a distress call, and the ship is undergoing damage assessment off Inebolu.
- The Elbus is Palau-flagged, previously named Euroleader, registered to a Hong Kong company, built in 2005, and not under Western sanctions.
- This is the fifth reported targeting of a tanker in the Black Sea since November, and while some reports link such incidents to efforts to curb Russia's oil revenues, attribution in this case has not been verified.