On June 27, the 274 meter long, 158622 dwt suezmax tanker Vilamoura (IMO: 9529293) suffered an explosion in the Mediterranean Sea some 90 nautical miles off Zueitina, Libya. The Vilamoura departed from Zueitina loaded with 1 million barrels of crude oil bound for Gibraltar when it suffered an engine room explosion. The explosion caused a hull breach resulting in water ingress. The crew were unable to stop the ingress resulting in the engine room being completely flooded leaving the vessel adrift. Fortunately, there were no injuries and no pollution released.
Reports states the Vilamoura was to be taken under tow and taken to a shipyard in Greece. The cause of the explosion was not disclosed, but some sources speculated the explosion could have been caused by a mine planted by saboteurs. Several prior vessels that had made voyages to Russia have exploded in the recent past. Some security firms believe it was caused by Ukrainian backed forces.
