On January 7, the 34 meter long tanker/fuel barge Nil (MMSI: 271010447) became disabled on the Sea of Marmara off Yenikapı, Istanbul. The Nil was conducting a refuel operation when it suffered engine failure. The KEGM dispatched a rescue boat and two tugboats, the 37 meter long, 472 gt Kurtarma-6 (IMO: 9463176) and the 272 gt Mehmetçik (IMO: 9816268) to assist. The Nil would safely dock at Zeyport supported by the two tugs. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released.
On the morning of December 26, the 274 meter long, 163288 dwt tanker Cordelia Moon (IMO: 9297888) became disabled on the Bosphorus Strait near Yeniköy, Turkey. The Cordelia Moon was headed for Russia from Yalova when it suffered engine failure. Turkish authorities dispatched tugboats which were able to pass a towline over to the tanker. The tugs then towed the Cordelia Moon to an anchorage off Istanbul. No reports of injuries, damage or pollution released.
The Cordelia Moon had been in an early incident in October when it was struck by an unmanned vessel while off Yemen in October 2024.
On November 17, the 132 meter long, 4190 dwt tanker Volgoneft 109 (IMO: 8230651) suffered damage in the Sea of Azov off the Taman Pennisula, Russia. The Volgoneft 109 was loaded with 4000 metric tons of mazut on board when it suffered hull failure with a crack just forward of the bridge. The tanker has suffered water ingress and pollution has been seen being released into the sea. No reports of injuries to the 14 crew. It can’t be determined if the tanker has controlled the flooding or if the tanker is at risk of breaking up. Video of the incident shows the tanker taking water over its deck with the mazut cargo leaking out into the sea.
The Russian federal shipping agency Rosmorrechflot state the Volgoneft 109 had been at anchor in the Kerch Strait off Port Kavkaz. The tanker suffered damage to the cargo tank, but there was no water ingress and no pollution released into the sea. The vessel had sent out a distress call due to a fracture in the hull, but the incident was “not critical”. Videos released of the Vologneft 109 suggests the Russian authorities do not want any further focus on these incidents.
This is the third tanker to suffer hull damage in two days. The incident with the Volgoneft 109, built in 1973, suggests the incidents are not due to wave damage, but the tankers lack of structural integrity. Photos and videos of all three Volgoneft tankers show rust and lack of recent maintenance. This suggests the tankers could have been already close to structural failure and the stormy conditions just hastened the eventual fate of the vessels.
Ukraine maritime authorities have stated these tankers were never designed for winter storms. Another authority has stated the vessels had departed from Volgograd bound to deliver the fuel for the Russian Navy to explain why the tankers would be exposed to the stormy conditions rather than remain in port or within the safety of the Don River. News reports suggest the urgency to resupply the Russian Navy is most likely the driving factor for all three incidents.