The Ukrainian Navy struck the sanctioned tanker MARQUISE off the coast of Russia
A unit of the Ukrainian Navy, using two unmanned explosive boats, struck the tanker MARQUISE, which flies the Cameroonian flag and is subject to sanctions imposed by a number of countries.
This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook.
According to the Ukrainian military, on the morning of April 29, the MARQUISE, a tanker with a cargo capacity of over 37,000 tons, was struck. The vessel was adrift without cargo approximately 210 kilometers southeast of the Russian port of Tuapse and was not transmitting an Automatic Identification System signal, likely awaiting loading at sea from another vessel.
It is noted that the strike hit the stern of the vessel, specifically the area of the propeller-rudder assembly and the engine room.
The MARQUISE tanker is subject to sanctions by Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Canada and, according to Ukrainian authorities, was used for the illegal transport of Russian petroleum products.
The extent of the damage to the vessel is currently being assessed.
Prior to this, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation leveled new accusations against Ukraine, claiming that drones had attacked the tanker while it was in the territorial waters of the aggressor country.
Russia is using its navy to protect tankers subject to sanctions
