The Explosion of an oil tanker in a port of Russia It is the last incident inexplicable which occurs on a ship linked to the federation that commands, which has generated speculation about sabotage. One more. The Ministry of Transportation said on Sunday that he was investigating the explosion at the Eco Wizard oil company in the port of UST-Luga, near St. Petersburg, which caused a ammonia leak aboard. Without details, for now.
But last week, an explosion caused floods In the Machine Room of Vilamoura, Greek Property, off the coast of Libya. Ukraine then said that the ship was part of the used to evade oil companies. Four other mysterious attacks with mines and They affected ships that had stopped in Russian ports this year.
Ukraine has not assumed responsibility, but the media have indicated how kyiv’s security forces often carry out covert actions against Russian interests.
Olha Polishchuk, from the ACLED analysis firm (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data), told On Monday that, with respect to the last incident, “it is not unreasonable to suggest the participation of Ukraine.” kyiv does not make comments about it.
Explosions in oil tankers linked to Russia They have shaken the world of maritime transport And they have caused Speculations that they were part of a sabotage campaign backed by the State. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility, and there could be Other causesbut attacks with unmanned kyiv aircraft against Russian objectives coincide with a Fight against ships that evade the oil sanctions aimed at cutting the financing of the Moscow military machinery.
The Russian authorities reported an explosion in the Eco Wizard oil tanker in the port of UST-Luga, of strategic importancein the Leningrad region, in the northwest of Russia, located in the Gulf of Finland. No victims were reported.
The explosion caused “a small escape from Liquid ammonia“On board the ship, whose crew of 23 people was evacuatedaccording to the Russian news channel Telegram Baza, which said there was “an explosion of Unknown nature“.
The Wizard echo was built in 2024 to transport Liquefied oil gas (LPG), navigated under the flag of the Marshall Islands and it is suspected that it belongs to the fleet in the shadow of Russia for violate The sanctions, according to the newspaper . The ship had arrived from Antwerp (Belgium), on July 3, according to the VESSELFINDER ships.
Polychuk said that Acledge monitors Ukrainian attacks inside the Russian territory and that he had previously registered explosions in which kyiv’s participation was confirmed or highly suspected. Ukraine has also frequently attacked related facilities With oil and gas in the pastparticularly those that facilitate export, he said.
Taking into account the scope of the previous attacks, the location of the current attack and the nature of the objective, It is not crazy suggesting The participation of Ukraine, although there are other possible causes.
The Wizard Eco ship is the last oil tanker linked to Russia that suffers an explosion since the beginning of this year. Last week, there was an explosion in Vilamoura shortly after he visited UST-Luga in early April, where he loaded barrels of origin kazajo And he had stopped at the Caspio Pipeline Consortium near Novalossiysk in May.
This is a pattern that correlates with at least other Four oil explosions since Januarythree of which occurred in the Mediterraneanaccording to the analysis of Lloyd’s List, which was also shared Newsweek. However, the common bond with visits prior to oil terminals in Russia It may not be enough To establish a connection between all recent explosions without clear evidence, said Lloyd’s List.
The five oil tankers had crossed the exterior port limits of Maltabut connections with Libya They were also the common denominator in at least two explosions, he added. Four of the ships belonged to Greek shipowners and chipriotasaccording to him .
Vilamoura is part of the Cardiff Group of George Economou. The SEACHARM, embarked in January off the coast of Turkey, and the sequencewel, embarked in February in Italiabelong to Theamaris, controlled by Nikolas Martinos.
Grace Ferrum, damaged in front of Libya in February, belongs to the company Cypriot Cymare. Another ship, the Koala, was damaged in an explosion in the port of UST-Luga in February and it was sanctioned By the European Union in May for transporting Russian oil.
