Mystery Blasts Rock Russia-Linked Oil Tankers Off Turkey’s Coast

"Explosions rocked two tankers sanctioned for carrying Russian oil, the latest in a spate of blasts on such vessels, sparking a rescue operation off Turkey’s Black Sea coast.

The 900-foot Kairos was en route from Egypt to Russia when it suffered a blast and caught fire, according to Turkish authorities. Emergency response vessels managed to evacuate the 25 crew members. Meanwhile, the 820-foot Virat began spewing heavy smoke from its engine room after being hit at a point farther east along the coast. The 20 personnel on board were in good condition, authorities said.
The exact cause of each of the explosions was unclear but Turkey’s transport minister said he had been informed they were the result of “external impact.”
“It can be a mine or a drone or a sea drone. These are all possible,” Abdulkadir Uraloglu said in a television interview." WSJ