The tanker Virat was again attacked by drones off the coast of Turkey

Tanker Virat under the flag of Gambia was once again attacked using drones off the coast of Turkey.

As reported by BAKU.WS, this was announced by the NTV channel, citing sources.

Earlier, information was received that a fire broke out on the tanker on Friday evening, presumably after being hit by an unmanned aerial vehicle. All 20 crew members on board the vessel were evacuated.

According to NTV, on Saturday morning it became known that the tanker Virat received minor damage to the starboard side above the waterline as a result of a new attack by unmanned maritime vehicles.

The Turkish Ministry of Transport confirmed the information about the attack on the tanker.

"According to available information, there is no fire on the vessel, the health condition of the crew is good. Rescue teams are at a safe distance from the vessel, as no requests have been received from it," the ministry's statement said.

Virat is located 35 nautical miles from the Turkish coast in the Black Sea. On Friday evening, a fire also broke out on the tanker Kairos, also off the coast of Turkey, with 25 sailors on board. The Republic's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, did not rule out that both incidents occurred due to external interference, possibly a mine detonation or a drone attack. Both vessels are heading to Novorossiysk and have no oil on board.