A crude oil tanker in the Black Sea near the Bosphorus Strait was reportedly struck by a naval drone, according to Turkish authorities, causing the vessel to lose control and require towing.

Data from MarineTraffic indicates that the tanker—identified as Altura and flying the Sierra Leone flag—was hit near Istanbul’s Bosphorus. The vessel had departed Novorossiysk, Russia, on March 22 and was en route to Istanbul.

According to the vessel tracking platform, the 274-metre-long tanker began drifting at 15:50 UTC on March 25. A towing operation commenced later that day at 23:17 UTC.

At 00:30 UTC on March 26, the ship’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) status was recorded as “Not Under Command,” indicating it was unable to manoeuvre normally.

The tanker is currently moving at approximately 0.2 knots, with a recorded draft of 15.9 meters, suggesting it is carrying cargo.