According to reports by Reuters and Turkish media on 8 January 2026, the Palau-flagged oil tanker Elbus, en route to Russia, was attacked by an unmanned surface vessel in the Black Sea. Following the incident, the vessel requested assistance from the Turkish Coast Guard.
Update 12/01/2026: This story was updated with a new picture showing the shadow fleet tanker Elbus transiting the Bosporus 2 days prior to getting hit. The previous illustration showed a tanker on fire in Singapore.
The attack occurred off the coast of ฤฐnebolu, a port town on Tรผrkiye’s Black Sea coast. According to Reuters, the tanker was struck by what maritime sources described as a drone while sailing through international waters. Russian state broadcaster NTV confirmed the attack on the Russia-linked vessel.
Naval News learned from local sources that the Elbus is currently anchored at ฤฐnebolu for inspection by the Turkish Coast Guard, which will conduct a damage assessment tomorow, and to prevent further attacks.
At the time of publishing, the Ukrainian authorities neither commented nor shared any information about the attack.
Location of ฤฐnebolu where Elbus is currently anchored
The Elbus is believed to be part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleetโa network of aging tankers operating under flags of convenience to transport Russian oil while evading Western sanctions. These vessels typically lack proper insurance and often disable their AIS transponders to avoid detection.
This latest strike follows a pattern established by Ukrainian naval forces in recent months. On the night of November 28, 2025, Ukrainian Sea Baby USVs attacked two tankers in the same region: the Kairos, which suffered an explosion and fire that disabled the vessel, and the Virat, which was hit near the engine room but remained stable.
The targeting of shadow fleet tankers represents a shift in Ukraine’s maritime strategy. Rather than focusing solely on Russian naval combatantsโmany of which have already been destroyed or damaged since 2022โUkrainian forces are now striking at the economic infrastructure that sustains Russian oil exports through the Black Sea.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet, which has relocated much of its operations to Novorossiysk following significant losses including the cruiser Moskva and several other warships, faces challenges in protecting commercial traffic. Whether Moscow will begin escorting tankers through the region remains to be seen.
For now, vessels transiting the Black Sea to Russian ports face an increasingly hostile environment, with Ukrainian forces demonstrating both the capability and willingness to strike at Russia’s maritime commerce.
On the topic of Russia-linked shadow fleet vessels, American forces yesterday boarded and seized two tankers: One off the coast of Scotland, the other off Venezuela.
