Reuters: Russian "shadow" Tanker May Have Been Blown Up In The Mediterranean Sea

• 1.07.2025, 19:52

With a Velcro mine.

An explosion on board the Vilamoura tanker, which was transporting oil from Russian ports off the Libyan coast on June 27, could have been caused by a mine attached to the vessel, knowledgeable sources told Reuters.

The Velcro mine belief was put forward by four maritime security experts in a preliminary investigation into the fifth explosion on Russian-linked tankers. At the same time, a spokesman for Greek operator TMS with knowledge of the situation told the agency that it was not yet possible to say exactly what caused the explosion. A full assessment of the damage and clarification of all the details of the emergency will be carried out when the ship arrives in Greece - within the next 24 hours.

"All investigations into alleged attacks on tankers using sticky mines are linked to ships calling at Russian ports," said a report by British maritime cyber defense and risk analysis company Dryad Global published this week. This suggests there is a threat to vessels involved in the Russian oil trade, likely caused by geopolitical tensions over Western sanctions, the analysts added.

The 1 million-barrel Vilamoura, a Marshall Islands-flagged oil liner, left the Libyan port of Zeitina in the Mediterranean Sea on June 27 and was headed for Gibraltar. At some point there was an explosion in the engine room. As a result of the accident, the ship's engine room flooded and it lost maneuverability.

The tanker is now being towed to Greek waters. The Vilamoura was off the southern coast of Greece, according to MarineTraffic service on Tuesday. The vessel has changed flag and owners several times and is considered part of Russia's "shadow fleet" that illegally transports oil from Russia.