Reuters: Matilda hit twice as drones strike Black Sea tankers

Drones hit two oil tankers in the Black Sea on January 13, including Matilda, which was struck twice, and another vessel chartered by US oil giant Chevron, as they sailed toward a Russian coastal terminal, Reuters reports.

Both tankers were heading to the Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka terminal, a key loading point handling about 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil for international markets as well as some Russian crude, according to the eight anonymous sources.

The affected vessels were the Delta Harmony and Matilda. Delta Harmony, chartered by Chevron, was scheduled to load oil from the Tengiz field. Matilda, operated by the Greek company Thenamaris and chartered by Kazmortransflot (a subsidiary of KazMunayGas), was carrying crude from Karachaganak.

Delta Harmony was struck around 05:12 GMT. A brief fire broke out on board but was quickly extinguished. The crew was unharmed, no oil spill was reported, and the vessel departed the area under its own power.

Matilda was hit twice by drones while 48 kilometres from the CTC terminal. Deck structures were damaged, but the ship remained seaworthy and has already left the area. Both Thenamaris and KazMunayGas confirmed the attack.

Reuters noted that four ships in total were targeted, but significant damage occurred only to the two tankers. Following the strikes, insurers nearly doubled “war-risk” premiums for vessels operating in the Black Sea.

By Jeyhun Aghazada