A Russian oil tanker attacked in the Black Sea overnight was hit by a Ukrainian maritime drone carrying 450 kg of explosives, it is claimed.
The attack briefly halted traffic on the Kerch, the 12-mile bridge linking Moscow-annexed Crimea to Russia, as well as ferry transport.
The tanker was struck as it transported fuel for the Russian military, a Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters, adding that the attack on the SIG ship was a joint operation by the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Navy, and had been conducted in Ukrainian territorial waters.
“The Sig tanker...suffered a hole in the engine room near the waterline on the starboard side, presumably as a result of a sea drone attack,” Russia’s Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport wrote earlier on Telegram, adding that there were no casualties among the 11 crew members.
Friday night’s attack was the second sea attack involving drones in one day.
Ukraine said its sea drones also struck a major Russian port Friday and damaged a warship in an attack that underlined Kyiv’s growing naval capabilities as the Black Sea becomes an increasingly important battleground in the war.