On June 27, an oil tanker carrying approximately one million barrels of crude oil exploded off the coast of Libya. No injuries or pollution have been reported in the incident, which has prompted ongoing investigations into the cause of the blast. The vessel, the Marshall Islands-flagged Vilamoura, had recently departed Libya’s Zuetina port and was en route to Gibraltar when the explosion occurred, resulting in flooding within the engine room that left the ship adrift. The incident has raised concerns given that the tanker had previously visited Russian oil terminals in early April and May, according to vessel-tracking data.
The explosion is part of a growing number of unexplained blasts involving tankers that have recently called at Russian ports. Maritime risk consultancy Vanguard Tech reported that four other tankers have suffered similar incidents since the start of the year, all of which had previously visited Russian oil facilities. This trend has intensified scrutiny over maritime traffic linked to Russia, as Western sanctions on Moscow’s oil exports have altered global shipping routes. The EU and US have accused Russia and its trading partners of using a ‘shadow fleet’ of tankers operating outside Western insurance rules to circumvent the sanctions, while Moscow has consistently denounced these measures as illegal.
The incidents have prompted some shipowners to begin inspecting hulls for possible mines using divers and underwater vehicles, highlighting the ongoing risks in the region. The vessel, built in 2011 with a carrying capacity of 158,622 tons, is now being towed in the eastern Mediterranean toward Greece, where damage assessments are expected to take place. Meanwhile, the UK and others have cited Ukraine’s repeated attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, including a February strike on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station, as a factor in the heightened tensions over global maritime security and sanctions compliance.