Two Drone-Struck Ships Wash Ashore in Turkey After Attacks

Two War-Damaged Vessels Drift Onto Turkish Coastline

Residents along Turkey’s Black Sea coast were startled this week when two abandoned, fire-scarred vessels drifted toward shore, both apparent casualties of ongoing hostilities in the region. According to a report by The Maritime Executive, local authorities were alerted by members of the public, and the Turkish Coast Guard has since taken control of both sites.

Golden Sapling: Struck En Route to Novorossiysk

The larger of the two vessels is the Golden Sapling, a Chinese-owned product tanker of 19,455 dwt, built in 1999 and flagged in Hong Kong. Turkish media reported that the tanker was struck roughly 90 nautical miles from Sinop on August 26 while sailing toward the Russian port of Novorossiysk. All 21 crew members abandoned ship and were rescued by the Greek-flagged tanker Maran Pythia. Images circulating online show heavy fire damage to the deck house and bridge, and the vessel appears to have been sailing in ballast given how high it sat in the water when hit. After drifting for several days, the tanker ran aground near Alaçam, in Samsun province, on August 30.

Omskiy-107: A More Uncertain Case

Further west, a second, smaller vessel came ashore near Alacalı Beach in Şile, close to Istanbul. It has been identified as the Omskiy-107, a Russian-flagged general cargo ship built in 1981 and operated by Moscow-based Avomar Shipping, which had been running cargo between Russian and Turkish ports. Unlike the Golden Sapling incident, the exact timing and location of the attack on the Omskiy-107 remain unclear. The report suggests the strike may be linked to a wider campaign carried out by Ukraine in July and early August targeting vessels supporting Crimea and shipping in the Sea of Azov. The 108-meter ship also shows serious damage, with its bridge burned out.

Turkey Renews Calls for De-escalation

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has formally protested the attacks and is reported to have summoned Ukraine’s ambassador following these latest incidents. Ankara had already proposed, earlier in August, a moratorium on attacks against commercial shipping in the Black Sea to both Russia and Ukraine, part of its broader, repeated push for de-escalation in the region.

What This Means for Owners and Managers

These two groundings underscore a persistent hazard for any vessel transiting the Black Sea corridor, regardless of cargo status or flag. The Golden Sapling was apparently sailing empty when struck, a reminder that ballast voyages offer no protection from drone or missile attacks in contested waters. For owners and managers with tonnage still calling at Russian Black Sea ports, the incident raises hard questions about voyage planning, insurance exposure, and crew safety protocols in an area where attribution and timing of attacks — as seen with the Omskiy-107 — can remain murky for days or weeks.

Beyond the immediate human and asset risk, both vessels now sit as fire- and blast-damaged wrecks on the Turkish shoreline, which will likely require salvage assessment, environmental monitoring, and condition surveys before any determination can be made on their fate. Damaged hulls that have drifted for days at sea, exposed to fire and structural stress, typically need a thorough post-casualty condition survey to establish the extent of hull, machinery, and pollution risk before removal or scrapping decisions are taken. Owners and P&I clubs involved in similar Black Sea casualties should expect independent surveys to play a central role in loss adjustment and any subsequent liability discussions, particularly where the cause and location of an attack are disputed, as appears to be the case with the Omskiy-107.

With Turkey continuing to press both belligerents for a shipping moratorium, further incidents of this kind cannot be ruled out, and operators trading in or near the Black Sea should factor this elevated risk into route planning and insurance arrangements for the foreseeable future.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.