KEY POINTS
- Mysterious explosions damaged three oil tankers in the Mediterranean.
- Italian authorities are investigating one blast off the Savona coast.
- The incidents raise security concerns as all ships had Russian links.
According to maritime and security officials on Wednesday, three oil tankers have been damaged by explosions in different instances throughout the Mediterranean in the previous month, with the causes of the damage still unexplained.
Mysterious explosions damage three oil tankers in the Mediterranean
These instances represent the first bomb damage to non-military vessels in the central Mediterranean in decades.
According to a maritime source, the most recent explosion happened on Saturday as the Greek-operated crude oil tanker Seajewel was anchored off the port of Savona-Vado in northern Italy. Below the waterline, the bomb created a one-meter inward break. Twenty minutes later, there was another explosion, but this one did not result in any more damage. Savona’s prosecutor informed Reuters that a probe has been opened by Italian prosecutors.
Requests for response from Seajewel’s operator, Thenamaris, based in Athens, have not been answered.
According to two reports, an explosion near Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in late January also destroyed Seacharm, another crude oil tanker run by Thenamaris.
Growing concerns over maritime security after recent Mediterranean incidents
According to three sources, a third incident occurred in February when the chemical and goods ship Grace Ferrum, which was flying the flag of Liberia, sustained damage off the coast of Libya. The yacht would need a salvage effort, according to one source. Grace Ferrum was listed as “not under command” off Libya on Wednesday, according to ship tracking data from LSEG. Cymare, its operator based in Cyprus, was not available for comment.
Sources and ship monitoring data indicated that all three tankers had recently visited Russian ports.
The accidents, which come after the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank near Spain in late December, have alarmed shipping sector experts. Two crew members were reported missing when the ship sank following an explosion in its engine room, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
