A fire broke out following an explosion aboard the Gambian-flagged Russian tanker KAIROS off the coast of Kefken, Kandıra, Kocaeli, 28 miles from Turkish territorial waters. Approximately an hour and a half later, 35 miles from Turkish territorial waters, the Russian tanker VIRAT released a statement saying,"We've been hit."

CAPTAIN SAID 'THERE IS A DRONE ATTACK'

Minister Uraloğlu, stating that the teams took action as soon as the explosions occurred, told the press,"We were informed that she was attacked or somehow affected by an explosion, through both our search and rescue center and the contact we established with the ships. Of course, after receiving the information, we went on alert with all our units. Both ships were tankers and empty tankers. The fact that they were empty was significant in this respect. There were 25 sailors on the first ship. The rescue of the crew was crucial. Our colleagues at the Coast Guard bravely rescued the 25 crew members. They are not suffering any health problems. The fire is ongoing on the Kairos. It is being handled with caution. We are closely monitoring the situation. Responding to a fire on a tanker, even if it is empty, is possible with regular training, and the teams carried it out successfully."

Uraloğlu continued,"Either an explosion or an attack on the VIRAT vessel, we will be able to provide a more detailed explanation in the coming hours or days. There was no fire, at least that was valuable. However, the ship's captain, in his own words, had issued a distress call saying, 'There's a drone attack.' Since there was no fire, there was no request for evacuation. We will monitor the situation. The investigation will determine whether there was an attack. There is no problem in our territorial waters. We will continue to do our utmost to ensure the safety of maritime navigation."

THE MOMENT OF SHOOTING IS ON CAMERA

On the other hand, according to news in Ukrainian media; It was claimed that the explosions that occurred on the tanker ships named 'KAIROS' and 'VIRAT' in the Black Sea were the result of an operation jointly carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ukrainian Navy.

In the images shared on the subject, it can be seen that ships were attacked with unmanned marine vehicles and explosions occurred.

KAIROS SHIP

The latest situation regarding the ships and crews was also announced by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure;

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Following the safe evacuation of 25 personnel from the empty tanker named KAIROS, which caught fire after an explosion while en route from Egypt to Russia, by the teams of our General Directorate of Coastal Safety, our Tugboat KURTARMA-12 and our Emergency Response Ship NENE HATUN responded to the fire on the ship throughout the night.

The personnel rescued by our rescue teams approached Şile Kovanağzı pier and handed over the injured personnel to the land health teams.

There is no fire on the open deck, and extinguishing and cooling efforts are continuing in the enclosed areas. Environmental experts and a diving team are on standby to conduct an investigation after the fire is extinguished.

VIRAT SHIP

It has been reported that the ship named VIRAT, which was reported to have been attacked by unmanned vessels approximately 35 miles offshore in the Black Sea, was attacked again this morning with Unmanned Marine Vehicles.

The vessel sustained minor damage to the starboard side of the waterline. There is no fire on board, and the crew is in good health. Rescue teams are currently maintaining a safe distance from the vessel, as there has been no rescue request.

While the ship remains stable, the crew is reported to be in good health.

STATEMENT FROM MINISTER URALOĞLU

Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu made a statement within the scope of the 7th Meeting of the Chamber of Shipping Joint Professional Committees.

Minister Uraloğlu stated that they are closely monitoring the situation surrounding the explosions that occurred on two ships in the Black Sea last night, and that the General Directorate of Coastal Safety and Coast Guard teams are taking necessary action. Uraloğlu stated,"Our General Directorate of Coastal Safety successfully intervened on the ship Kairos while the fire was still raging, rescuing 25 sailors in a successful operation."

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu made a statement at the 7th meeting of the Chamber of Shipping's Joint Professional Committees. Uraloğlu began his speech by stating that they were closely monitoring the explosions that occurred on two ships in the Black Sea last night and that the General Directorate of Coastal Safety and Coast Guard teams were taking necessary action. Uraloğlu said,"Our General Directorate of Coastal Safety successfully intervened on the ship Kairos while the fire was still raging, rescuing 25 sailors in a successful operation. I would like to thank the General Directorate of Coastal Safety and all my colleagues in our Ministry."

Minister Uraloğlu made the following statement on CNN Türk's live broadcast last night: We have been following the situation closely from the beginning. We received information from the first ship indicating a possible mine strike. Our colleagues' initial assessment is that there was external interference. However, we will clarify the exact nature of the incident following technical investigations in the coming hours.

However, as soon as we received the information, we took immediate action. We directed two rescue boats belonging to the General Directorate of Coastal Safety to the first ship. We then dispatched the rescue vessel Nenehatun, capable of conducting large-scale rescue operations at world standards, to the region. This vessel also arrived at the scene quickly. As you stated, all 25 personnel on the tanker have been rescued safely. The tanker's empty condition significantly reduced any potential risks. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of our Coastal Safety teams, the personnel were taken aboard the boats and safely brought ashore.

The fire on the ship continues. Response and cooling efforts in the area are continuing in a coordinated manner.

WHICH COUNTRY ARE THE PERSONNEL ON BOARD FROM?

We are coordinating with our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, and the National Intelligence Organization. We will determine with all our institutions whether the incident in question was an attack, an explosion, or a mine strike. According to the latest information provided by our colleagues, there are 25 personnel on board, including 19 Chinese, 4 Bangladeshi, 1 Myanmar, and 1 Indonesian. Our initial statement also indicated that approximately 25 personnel were on board. This is the initial information we have obtained.