Malta-flagged oil tanker hit by drones in Black Sea, Russia blames Ukraine

Russia has accused Ukraine of launching a drone strike on a Malta-flagged tanker that was damaged off the Black Sea coast earlier this week.

The Matilda, which is Greek-owned and chartered by a Kazakh oil firm, was attacked near Anapa in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region on January 13. The crew were not injured and the ship arrived off Romania’s coast on Thursday morning.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the Matilda was hit by two Ukrainian strike Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

Greece condemned the strikes and said its foreign minister would be raising the issue at European level. Kazakhstan also issued a statement condemning the attack.

The Matilda was due to load oil when it was struck by two drones. A fire reportedly broke out on board but was quickly put out. A spokesperson for the ship’s owners told Reuters that the damage is “fully repairable”.

Both the Matilda and Delta Harmony, another oil tanker that was reportedly hit in the strikes, were sailing towards the Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka terminal.

Citing sources, Reuters reported that the terminal is used for Kazakh oil destined for global markets as well as some Russian crude oil.

Ukraine has been steadily increasing its attacks on Russian infrastructure as it seeks to pressure Moscow into ending the ongoing war. The Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka terminal was hit by drone strikes in November and Kazakh oil exports plunged the following month.

Ukraine has not commented on drone strikes hitting the Matilda.

Maltese authorities have not issued any statements about the incident.

Malta’s maritime industry has ballooned in recent years and the country operates the biggest flag in the European Union. In 2022, the sector was estimated to contribute around 14 per cent of national GDP.