A Russian oil tanker was damaged early Saturday morning in the Kerch Strait near the bridge connecting the Russian-held Crimea region to the Russian mainland.
A maritime rescue team based in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk said it had been dispatched to help recover the vessel, which was unable to operate on its own, Russian news agency TASS reported.
No fuel was spilled from the ship with 11 people on board, according to TASS.
The SIG suffered a hole in the water in the engine room area, “presumed to have been caused by a drone attack,” the Federal Maritime and Inland Waterway Transportation Agency said on Telegram. “The ship is floating now.”
Officials appointed by Russia to the Crimea region blamed the attack on Ukrainian drones. Ukraine rarely directly claims responsibility for drone attacks.
The latest attack in the Black Sea came a day after Ukraine said it launched a naval attack on a Russian navy ship at the Novorossiysk base in southern Russia.
