Four Bangladeshi seafarers escaped injury after their tanker Kairos caught fire in the Black Sea following an apparent attack on vessels that carry Russian oil.
Turkish authorities said the master reported an “external impact” before 25 crew were evacuated by tugs and Turkish Coast Guard units and taken ashore in good condition.
The Bangladeshi crew members, identified as Mahfuzul Islam Plabon, Ajgar Hossain, Al Amin Hossain and Habibur Rahman, are now in a Turkish hotel awaiting instructions from their employer.
Kairos and another tanker, Virat, are part of a “shadow fleet” moving Russian crude. A Ukrainian security source told Cable News Network (CNN) that Sea Baby drones were used, but investigators in Turkey are examining whether a drone strike or a mine caused the blasts.