102
Views

Sanctioned Oil Tanker Goes Aground on the Rocks in Aegean

Qendil
Handout photo courtesy KEGM

Published Jan 4, 2026 2:50 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

A sanctioned shadow-fleet tanker has run aground off the coast of Bozcaada, Turkey, prompting a large-scale emergency response. The vessel is the same tanker that was struck by Ukrainian drones in the Mediterranean last month.  

According to Turkish maritime safety agency KEGM, the 250-meter tanker Qendil was en route from Aliaga to Yalova when it drifted onto a rocky shore at Bozcaada (Tenedos), a scenic island in the Aegean just south of the entrance to the Dardanelles. The area is popular with tourists and filled with small islands, both Greek and Turkish-controlled. 

AIS data provided by Pole Star shows that Qendil went to anchor just southwest of the island on December 30 at a safe water depth for a vessel of her size. She held a relatively steady position at anchor through January 3, inscribing an anchor circle on a southwest-northeast axis.

At approximately 1030 hours GMT on January 4, the ship drifted from her anchorage and headed downwind, for reasons not yet officially established.

AIS trackline courtesy Pole Star Global

Qendil reached an unusual speed for a ship gone adrift - four knots, per AIS data - and came to rest about 100 meters offshore. Video from the scene shows the vessel buffeted by strong onshore winds and heavy waves.

Two tugs, Kurtarma-10 and Kurtarma-16, have been dispatched to the scene to assist. No pollution or injuries have been reported. The vessel is in ballast condition, KEGM reported, reducing the potential risk of pollution. 

Qendil (IMO 9310525, ex names Spark, Oilstar, Ionia) is a 115,000 dwt oil tanker built in 2006. She is currently flagged in Oman, owned in India and managed by a firm in China.

Qendil's last PSC entry was made three years ago, when she was under previous long-term ownership. In the intervening three years, the vessel has changed owners three times and registered under six different flags. Over the same period, she made frequent visits to the St. Petersburg region, one of Russia's three main oil export hubs, and to Vadinar and Mangaluru, two Indian ports known for importing gray-market Russian crude. Qendil's age, management, operating route and registration pattern align with Russia-serving shadow fleet participation, and she has been sanctioned by some (but not all) allies of Ukraine. 

According to OpenSanctions, the ship was formerly part of the sanctioned Oceanix Management FZE fleet and the former Gatik Ship Management fleet. She has been sanctioned by Canada, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand.

Ukraine has sanctioned both the vessel and her master, identified by the GRU as Russian national Andrei Chumakov. The ship was attacked by Ukraine's drone forces in the Mediterranean in mid-December.