Virat

The ' Virat', now renamed ' Prometey', arrived in Tuzla on Dec 15. The ship had undergone repairs of damages caused by Ukrainian Nagura rockers about seven nautical miles off the Turkish coast in recent weeks to become seaworthy again. The blast holes were sealed and the main engine fixed. The sanctioned ship left the Gambian false flag and was registered in Russia. Since 2023 it had frequently changed its flag as part of the shadow fleet.

Towing operations of the sanctioned tanker 'Virat', which belongs to Russia's "shadow fleet" and was hit by SBU Sea Baby drones in the Black Sea, to Karadeniz Liman was underway by the tug 'Med Firat' (IMO: 1056226). The tanker, which was struck approximately 35 nautical miles offshore, sustained heavy smoke in its engine room but maintained a stable condition despite a second drone attack on the morning of Nov 29, that caused additional minor damage above the waterline. All 20 crew members remained in good condition throughout the ordeal. Report with photos: https://charter97.org/en/news/2025/11/30/664897/#google_vignette

Blasts rocked the sanctioned tankers 'Kairos' and ''Virat' from Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus on Nov 28, 2025, causing fires on the vessels, and rescue operations were launched. The 'Kairos' suffered an explosion off the coast of Kefken, in Kocaeli’s Kandira district in northwestern Türkiye, and caught fire in the Black Sea while en route from Port Said to Novorossiysk. The fast rescue boats 'KEGM 9' and 'KEGM 10', the tug 'Kurtarma 12' and the emergency response vessel 'Nene Hatun' were immediately dispatched to the scene, and the 25 crew members on board were rescued by teams from the General Directorate of Coastal Safety and handed over to medical personnel at Sile Kovanagzi Pier. Throughout the night, the tug 'Kurtarma 12' and the emergency response vessel 'Nene Hatun' continued efforts to extinguish the fire. There was no fire on the open deck of the vessel, while extinguishing and cooling operations continued in enclosed sections. The General Directorate of Maritime Affairs reported the first explosion aboard the 'Kairos', and 30 minutes the 'Virat', en route from Ust-Luga, was struck about 35 nautical miles offshore, further east in the Black Sea, and rescue units and a commercial vessel were sent to the scene. Heavy smoke was detected in the engine room but the 20 personnel on board were in good condition. Both the 'Kairos' and the 'Virat' were on a list of ships subject to sanctions imposed against Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The 'Virat' is listed with an unknown flag after previously reporting Gambia. Built in 2018, the ship was reported as having been sold to a Chinese company in January 2025. The United States sanctioned the vessel in January 2025 for transporting Russian oil, and the EU followed with a listing in July and the UK in September 2025. The 'Kairos' was among 72 vessels recently deleted from the Gambian ship registry for fraudulently issued certificates. “So this vessel is flagless, stateless, and any insurance and class (if it has any) has been invalidated by the fact that it’s falsely purporting to fly the flag of Gambia. The European Union sanctioned the ship in May 2025 while it was operating under the name 'Katiuska', and the UK followed, listing the vessel in July 2025. The vessel was sold in August to the Chinese company Alafia Trading. Shipping traffic through the strait continued. Report with photos: https://www.reuters.com/world/tanker-hit-by-blast-fire-north-turkeys-bosphorus-strait-agency-says-2025-11-28/

Ukraine has announced on Nov 29 that the 'Virat' and 'Kairos' were struck by Sea Baby drones during a joint operation by the SBU and the Ukrainian Navy. Both tankers suffered critical damage and were effectively put out of service,, which was a significant blow to the transportation of Russian oil. The 'Virat', which had been attacked by the unmanned vessels approximately 35 nautical miles off the coast of the Black Sea, was attacked again on the morning of Nov 29 by UAVs and suffered damage to the starboard side, above the waterline. There has been no fire on the ship and all crew members were in good health. Rescue teams were maintaining a safe distance from the ship, as it has not transmitted a distress signal. The 'Kairos' caught fire 28 nautical miles off the Turkish coast after an explosion. The 25 crew members were evacuated and were all in good health. Turkish authorities, who have not yet found any contamination around the 'Kairos', planned to deploy a team of environmental experts and divers, once the fire on the ship was extinguished. Fire fighting operations were carried out by the 'Kurtarma 12'. The two tankers were subject to Western sanctions for transporting oil from Russian ports, despite an embargo imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The major oil terminal near the port of Novorossiysk also suspended operations after an attack by an unmanned surface vessel damaged one of its three berths. The Ukrainian military also struck the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, as well as the Beriev air force plant in the Rostov region, triggering explosions and a fire at the refinery. Report with photo and video: https://www.dnews.gr/eidhseis/kosmos/559142/mayri-thalassa-pos-egine-i-oukraniki-epithesi-sta-deksamenoploia-kairos-kai-virat-vinteo

On Nov 19, 2022, the US Coast Guard medevaced a 45-year-old man from the 'Crudesun' 11 miles offshore Port Aransas, Texas. Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi command center watchstanders received a call at 4:23 p.m. from the crew of the tanker, stating a crew member was experiencing symptoms of a stroke. Watchstanders consulted with the duty flight surgeon, who recommended a medevac. A Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew launched to conduct the medevac. Once on scene, the helicopter crew hoisted the ailing man and transferred him to CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi in stable condition.