3 oil tankers damaged by explosions in Mediterranean: Reuters
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The three ships were targeted with explosives in the Mediterranean after calling at Russian ports.
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A Mediterranean Shipping Company container ship is shown in the bay from San Francisco, on October 1, 2024. (AP)
Three oil tankers have been damaged in the Mediterranean in the past month, shipping and security sources told Reuters.
According to the news agency, the ships were damaged by blasts, however, the causes remain unknown. These incidents mark the first time, in decades, that non-military vessels have endured blast damage in the Mediterranean.
A total of four explosions damaged three vessels off the coasts of Italy, Turkey, and Libya, sources revealed.
In the first incident, the Greek-operated crude oil tanker Seajewel was stuck by two explosives at a port in northern Italy, on Saturday. The explosions occurred 20 minutes apart, with the first causing a one-meter inward breach below the waterline of the tanker. Savona's prosecutor said the vessel was at anchor in front of Savona-Vado port.
The second case involved the crude oil tanker Seacharm, which was damaged off the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in late January.
The final incident involved the Liberia-flagged chemical and products tanker Grace Ferrum, which was damaged off Libya's coast. One source told Reuters that the vessel would require a salvage operation due to the extent of the damage.
It is worth noting that all three of the vessels had recently called at Russian ports.
In late December 2024, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that a Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean after an explosion targeted its engine room.
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