Series of mysterious explosions on tankers: initially all hands pointed to Ukraine – FT
Initially, Ukraine was suspected of a series of mysterious explosions on oil tankers operated by Greek, Cypriot and other companies. This is according to the Financial Times.
In 2025, at least five vessels have already been the target of deliberate attacks. The latest incident occurred last week off the coast of Libya, where the tanker Vilamoura, owned by the Greek company Cardiff Group, was damaged.
Four more vessels were affected from January to February: Seacharm – near Turkey, Seajewel – near Italy, Grace Ferrum – near Libya, and Koala – in the Russian port of Ust-Luga.
The last vessel was sanctioned by the EU in May for improperly transporting Russian oil.
None of the other tankers were found to be violating the G7 restrictions. Some of the vessels were carrying oil from Kazakhstan, which is not subject to sanctions.
All five vessels had visited Russian ports in the weeks leading up to the attacks.
One security advisor in the sector said that initially "all the arrows" pointed to Ukraine, which had already engaged in covert operations against Russia. There has been no comment from Kyiv regarding these incidents yet.
At the same time, the explosion on the Vilamoura was different from previous ones – the damage occurred in the lower part of the hull, not on the side, as in other cases.
This has given rise to alternative theories, including the possible involvement of Libyan groups competing for revenue from oil transportation.
All the tankers also have a history of calling at Libyan ports and anchoring off Malta – a place known as a "grey market" for fuel and supplies.
- In February, Reuters reported that three tankers visiting Russian ports had exploded in the Mediterranean Sea in the course of a month. On February 14, two explosions occurred on the tanker Seajewel.
