US EditionSabotage Suspected as Mystery Blasts Hit Oil Tankers
- On June 27, the Greek-operated oil tanker Vilamoura experienced an explosion in its engine room while navigating approximately 80 nautical miles from the Libyan coastline, carrying around 1 million barrels of crude oil.
- This incident follows a series of unexplained blasts since early 2025 targeting tankers that recently called at Russian ports amid Western sanctions and a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil exports.
- Vilamoura made two stops at Russian ports—Ust-Luga in early April and the CPC terminal near Novorossiysk in May—after which shipowners began deploying divers and underwater drones to examine their ships for potential mines.
- TMS Tankers reported that the blast flooded Vilamoura’s engine room, caused it to lose maneuverability, and that no injuries or pollution have occurred, while the vessel is being towed to Greece with arrival expected on July 2.
- Maritime security consultancy reports note these explosions suggest a targeted threat linked to geopolitical tensions involving the Russian oil trade, though official confirmation of the cause remains pending.
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Five different oil tankers have been damaged by magnetic mine explosions this year. All five were docked in Russian ports in the weeks before the explosions, drawing suspicion of sabotage to Ukraine, which is now in its fourth year of resisting a Russian invasion. Kiev has not yet commented on the situation, but its security forces have been responsible for several similar operations.
Attacks on Russia Related Ships Smell Of British / Ukrainian Cooperation - LewRockwell
This now seems to happen with some regularity: An explosion struck the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Vilamoura, carrying approximately one million barrels of crude, off Libya’s coast, according to its Greek operator, TMS Tankers. – Greek City Times, Jul 1 2025 The explosion flooded the engine room, disabling the vessel. TMS Tankers reported that the ship, which departed from Zueitina, Libya, en route to Gibraltar, will be towed to Greece o…
A series of mysterious explosions on oil ships caused concern in the global maritime industry, suggesting that the attacks could be part of a State- sponsored satellite campaign. Russia? Ukraine? Libya? Financial Times launched a survey.
A tanker attributed to the Russian shadow fleet was damaged in an explosion. It is not the first such incident.
Security experts and shipowners across Europe suspect that a series of mysterious mine attacks on oil tankers in the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea are sabotage, the British daily "Financial Times" reported today.
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