Tankers linked to Russian oil exports tracked near Lefkada amid naval drone probe

At slightest two tankers linked to the transport of Russian petroleum products person been sailing successful the Ionian Sea adjacent Lefkada, according to accusation obtained by Kathimerini.

This quality comes aft the find connected Thursday of a Ukrainian-made Magura V3 unmanned surface vessel (USV) disconnected the seashore of Lefkada. 

According to reports earlier connected Friday, the USV appeared configured for a “kamikaze”-style strike. It was reportedly loaded with progressive explosives and designed to collide with a target, perchance a commercialized vessel oregon lipid tanker.

The tankers sailing successful the Ionian Sea are not included connected Western sanctions lists and are so not officially classified arsenic portion of Russia’s so-called shadiness fleet, which is used to transport Russian lipid while circumventing Western sanctions.

However, according to reliable sources, some ships are being monitored by Western agencies implicit their alleged engagement successful the transport of Russian lipid and earthy gas.

The archetypal of the two tankers sailing successful the country is reportedly carrying crude oil, flies the Croatian emblem and belongs to a institution based successful the Adriatic metropolis of Zadar.

The vessel departed from Trieste connected Wednesday and is scheduled to get astatine the larboard of Piraeus connected Saturday. According to available information, the tanker formally changed ownership successful 2025. 

In May of the aforesaid year, Ukrainian media reportedly included it connected a database of astatine slightest 200 tankers said to person exported 15 cardinal tons of lipid and petroleum products from Russian ports, describing the routes arsenic “blood-stained exports.”

The 2nd vessel, which has reportedly been sailing adjacent the archetypal tanker implicit the past 24 hours, is simply a chemic tanker flying the Maltese emblem and owned by a Singapore-based company.

According to maritime tracking databases, it departed from Milazzo successful Sicily connected Wednesday and is expected to get successful Kalamata. “The vessel is not connected the database of Western sanctions, but it has transported Russian LPG successful the past,” a reliable source told Kathimerini.

The informal database of vessels associated with Russia’s shadiness fleet is estimated to see up to 1,500 tankers of various types. Many are known to sail with their Automatic Identification System (AIS) switched off, while some are besides suspected of transporting Iranian oil, placing them under accrued scrutiny from Western quality and maritime monitoring agencies.

Speculation has centered connected whether the USV discovered adjacent Lefkada could beryllium linked to imaginable attacks targeting ships associated with Russia’s shadiness fleet. 

The USV was discovered connected Thursday adjacent Cape Doukato by section fishermen, who recovered it concealed wrong a coastal cave with its motor still running. The fishermen secured the trade and towed it to the larboard of Vassiliki, where it was handed implicit to the seashore guard.