According to Turkish media reports, citing local sources and shipping industry figures, the Turkish tanker M/T Mersin was allegedly hit by a Ukrainian drone off the coast of Senegal.

The ship in question was reportedly targeted because it was carrying Russian oil.

It is emphasized that this is the third incident in recent days against tankers allegedly carrying Russian oil. Just last Friday, two such incidents (in the Turkish Search and Rescue area of responsibility) were preceded.

The oil tanker M/T Mersin (9428683) is sinking off the coast of Senegal.

In August, it visited the Russian port of Taman, from where it headed to Togo. It entered the port, stayed for several hours, and then departed with its cargo. It then headed to Senega

— Evgen Istrebin 🇺🇦 (@evgen1232007) November 30, 2025

According to the same sources, the tanker M/T Mersin is now described as semi-sunk.

So far, however, there have been no public reports of casualties or large-scale pollution, while neither the Ukrainian nor Senegalese authorities have issued any detailed official statement.

M/T Mersin is a Panamanian-flagged tanker owned by the Turkish company Beşiktaş Denizcilik. It is approximately 183 meters long and 32 meters wide. It was built in 2009 at SSP Shipbuilding in South Korea.

At present, there is no evidence to suggest that the M/T Mersin is officially on the sanctions list imposed by the EU or the UK. It is noted, however, that the vessel in question appears to have recently docked in Novorossiysk.