AN APPARENT attack on a Thenamaris tanker in Italy at the weekend was the second such incident suffered by the company in the past few weeks, it has emerged.

The Greece-based owner has confirmed that Italian authorities are investigating a “suspected security incident” involving its aframax tanker Seajewel (IMO: 9388807).

The incident forced a halt to the tanker’s routine cargo operations last Saturday in the port of Savona.

But another Thenamaris-managed tanker suffered an explosion in the eastern Mediterranean one month ago, according to sources informed of the incident, which has not previously been reported.

In that case, another aframax — the 2018-built Seacharm (IMO: 9773765) — suffered an explosion while sailing off the Turkish coast between January 17 and 18.

The incident is said to have punched a hole in the tanker’s side plating.

Following the blast, pieces of debris were collected and sent for examination by the security services, according to one source briefed on the matter.

Vessel-tracking shows Seacharm then sailed to Greece and spent about 10 days in the Piraeus region at Skaramangas shipyards where it underwent repairs from January 20 to January 30, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel-tracking data.

It has since picked up a cargo in Libya and is shown as being in Savona along with Seajewel.

On Tuesday, the latter was also ready to resume cargo operations, Thenamaris said in a statement.

The company confirmed all crew on the vessel and other individuals involved in the cargo operations were safe, and there had been “no harm” to the environment as a result of the incident.

“Our priority remains the safety of our crew and the protection of the environment,” the company told Lloyd’s List. 

“Thenamaris always complies with all international and European rules and regulations.”

So far, Thenamaris has not responded to questions about the earlier, Seacharm incident.

Reports from Italy suggested that crew on board Seajewel heard two loud bangs and divers subsequently found a hole of more than a metre in the vessel’s hull.

Spate of blasts

Two incidents of this nature in such a short period raises the question of whether Thenamaris has been targeted as a company.

Security consultants familiar with the matters, which remain confidential, say there have been a spate of blasts over the past two months that have seen tankers damaged in a specific way: with holes in their hull.

The commonality between these ships appears to be that they have traded to ports in Russia, either lifting Russian oil, or exporting cargo from terminals in Novorossiysk.

Earlier this month, the Russia-owned dark fleet* suezmax tanker Koala (IMO: 9234642) suffered explosions at the berth in the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga.

Governor of Leningrad Oblast Alexander Drozdenko said on Telegram that the incident as a “man-made incident” that occurred during engine start up.

Another incident that has gone unreported involves a different tanker that called at Ust-Luga in January.

Grace Ferrum (IMO: 9667928) experienced explosions similar to that of Koala and Seajewel while off the coast of Libya at the start of February.

The vessel was laden at the time and its previous ports of call were St. Petersburg and Ust-Luga.

However, the incidents are very different cases. Grace Ferrum, Seajewel and Seacharm  have no connection to the so-called “dark”* or “shadow” fleet and there is no indication that the previous voyages violate Russian sanctions in any way.

If these incidents are confirmed as cases of sabotage, especially as one occurred in an EU port, there will be increased pressure to identify the culprits.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article wrongly classified Grace Ferrum as a dark fleet tanker.

We apologise for any confusion caused.

* Lloyd’s List defines a tanker as part of the dark fleet if it is aged 15 years or over, anonymously owned and/or has a corporate structure designed to obfuscate beneficial ownership discovery, solely deployed in sanctioned oil trades, and engaged in one or more of the deceptive shipping practices outlined in US State Department guidance issued in May 2020. The figures exclude tankers tracked to government-controlled shipping entities such as Russia’s Sovcomflot, or Iran’s National Iranian Tanker Co, and those already sanctioned.