Storm Drives Another War Damaged Tanker Ashore in Turkey
Turkish officials are responding to the second grounding this week of a tanker during strong storms that have moved across the region. Both of the vessels are war casualties struck by Ukraine during the Black Sea offensive and brought to Turkey.
The Liberian-flagged tanker Banda was driven ashore near Sariyer, in the northern sections of Istanbul along the Black Sea. The Turkish Coast Guard reports it responded to the vessel, which lost control due to the strong winds and rough seas in the area.
?stanbul Sar?yer'de sürüklenen Liberya bayrakl? 238 metre uzunlu?undaki "BANDA" isimli ham petrol tankeri, K?s?rkaya aç?klar?nda karaya oturdu Yakla??k 42 metre geni?li?indeki tankerin k?y?ya yak?n noktadaki bekleyi?i sürüyor (DHA) #habertürk https://t.co/IL03VgX5Em https://t.co/WueDUCHAT6
— Habertürk (@Haberturk) October 15, 2026
Unlike the product tanker Grace Romavictor (49,990 dwt), which was caught in the waves and winds and ended up ashore in the Cilingoz Nature Park, northwest of Istanbul, the Banda is not abandoned. The reports said there are six Turkish crewmembers aboard the Banda. The Coast Guard confirmed that they were in good condition, and they anticipate the vessel will be pulled off the beach after the storm subsides.
The Security Service of Ukraine had targeted the Banda (105,576 dwt) on July 14 while it was approximately 70 miles southwest of Novorossiysk. It was empty, approaching the terminal to load a cargo of crude oil. Ukraine asserted that the tanker had transported Russian crude oil from the ports of Ust-Luga, Kerch, Novorossiysk, and Nakhodka.
Damage after the Ukrainian drone strike (Tsavliris Group)
According to details released by the salvage company Tsavliris Group, the vessel was struck near the stern, which caused a heavy explosion and a fire. It said there was also water ingress that flooded the engine room and left the vessel blacked out.
Tsavliris sent a rescue tug and a salvage team that began towing the tanker on July 17 and boarded it to effect repairs starting on July 22. It reports the tanker was stabilized, a portable generator was placed aboard, and repairs were made in the accommodation block for the crew. Tsavliris delivered the tanker into a Turkish anchorage on August 19.
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It is unclear if the tanker was struck a second time. Turkish authorities are indicating it was struck on September 2, but did not provide any details on the incident.
Turkey has had to manage several situations of war casualties washing up along its Black Sea coastline since Ukraine started its offensive on shipping in the Black Sea earlier this summer. It comes as Turkey has been trying to restore safe passage for commercial vessels, and now Bulgaria and Romania are joining in the effort to achieve either a moratorium or establish a safe lane for commercial shipping.
